


Even If It Hurts

by Daywriter106



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abuse, Aftermath of Torture, Anxiety Attacks, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Hurt Tony Stark, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Male-Female Friendship, Nightmares, POV Female Character, Physical Abuse, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Protective Thor (Marvel), Psychological Torture, Sexual Abuse, Strong Female Characters, Thor (Marvel) is Not Stupid, Tony Angst, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:22:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 22
Words: 150,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25542799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daywriter106/pseuds/Daywriter106
Summary: After Loki's failed New York invasion he is returned to Asgard then sent out of the Nine Realms for punishment arranged by Odin. However when a Titan by the name of Thanos removes him before his time is served, Thor goes to the Avengers for help in tracking down Loki. What they finally find is not what they expected.Now back on earth, Loki appears to be the Avengers one source of information on the Titan's plans for the Infinity Stones. But his mind has been splintered by others than just the Titan. Will he be able to find the help he needs even if it hurts the one offering it?
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 75
Kudos: 156





	1. Chapter 1

In Asgard there was a solemn procession leading from the palace through the city to towards the Bifrost Bridge. Standard bearers carried pennants with the Asgardian coat of arms, the sound of their fluttering barely heard above the sound of the footsteps of the marchers. 

In the lead were a troop of Odin's own guard, clearing the street so that the party may pass though there was no need. The citizens fell silent and stepped back against shops and homes as soon as they caught sight of their king and queen. Walking stony faced with eyes ahead, there was no way to know the turmoil raging in Odin and Frigga, though for two very different reasons.

Behind them walked Thor, blond hair brushing his shoulders, he wore ceremonial finery with Mjolnir at his waist. Instead his empty hands clenched into fists, opening and closing as though looking for something to grasp. His face was not quite as expressionless as his parents, his jaw muscles clenched like his hands, he was clearly agitated but kept his eyes forward, staring at the back of Odin's head.

However it was the man nearly behind him that all eyes eventually settled on. Loki, Prince of Asgard, had no such desire to be stony faced or expressionless and his contempt for those walking ahead of him was obvious on what could be seen on his face. A metal muzzle pressed close to his face, silencing his infamous silver tongue, one too many insults to Odin. He wore his black leather boots and pants but a simple pale green under tunic, its only decoration the faint splatters of Loki's blood down its front. 

His hands bound in heavy chains that looped to his neck, he was forced to hold his arms to his chest. With his long legs the chain bound to his ankles made each step difficult, which forced him to shuffle and his eyes blazed at the perceived insult. With the runes inscribed into each link he was unable to touch his magic, even the thought of performing the simplest spell caused an ache between his eyes and a painful heat in his hands.

And so it was in this manner that they laboriously made their way through the streets to where the city ended and the Bifrost Bridge began. The soldiers parted and stood respectfully aside as the four continued on. Their footfalls were silent, the only sound was that of Loki's chains as he walked. Even as careful as he moved there was little he could do about the sound.

Once they were far enough to be out of hearing of the guards Odin stopped and looked down at his wife who looked at him with a questioning expression. He took her hand in his, "This is as far as you should go. Say good bye here then return with my escort to the palace." His voice was low, there was concern in it yet this was obviously a command.

Frigga took a step back, removing her hand from his. Her voice was no less commanding than his as she nearly hissed, "I will not. Loki is my son." She stared fearlessly into her husbands eyes. She turned to walk back to stand next to Loki, "If you insist on sending your youngest son away from his family and home as part of this punishment you are set on doling out, then I will not take my eyes from him till the last moment. I will not leave his side till he is ripped from mine." She turned to look up at the man she spoke of but he had turned away from her, looking out at the far distance. He stood tall and proud, his whole body almost vibrating with agitation.

There was silence. The breeze was gentle here, Loki's hair blew playfully in it and Frigga reached up to brush it back. An absent minded mothers gesture but it had a profound effect on him. He turned fully away from her, from Odin and Thor, his shoulders bowed, his head dropped and for a moment he swayed. Thor took a step forward when it looked like Loki might actually sink to his knees. 

Frigga waved Thor back while coming around to the front of Loki and lifting his head up to look into his eyes. She smiled, looking into green eyes like the most verdant forest in all the Nine Realms. Now they held none of the previous contempt directed to Odin, they were devastated and not without a hint of fear at the coming unknown punishment. Loki shook his head, closing his eyes.

Frigga raised her hands to grasp her sons face, to use her thumbs to wipe at the start of tears in the corner of his eyes without being obvious though both Thor and Odin had turned slightly away. Whether to give privacy or because of embarrassment it didn't matter.

She spoke softly yet there was command in her tone that neither of her sons dare disobey, even grown men that they were, "Loki, look at me. Now. Look at me." Because of his height once he opened his eyes he was looking directly down into hers. He tried to turn his head away but she held his face firmly. "You are Loki Odinson. Prince-"

Loki shook his head violently, throwing her hands off his face, taking a step back, his eyes angry. Frigga would not be deterred. She followed and grasped him again.

"Yes you are. Loki Odinson. Prince of Asgard. You are my son and Thor's brother." Again the shake of the head but this time not as violent and his eyes showed more exasperation than anything else. Frigga smiled, "yes, Thor's beloved brother." Now his eyes were filled with disgust. "Never forget who you are. You have the blood of kings in you." There was the start of him shaking his head but she caught his face again and this time angerly asked, "God of Lies, do you find a lie in my words ? Do you?"

He stared at her. His eyes searched her face. There was the barest hint of him shaking his head.

"It is Time." Odin's voice left no doubt that this time he would allow no disobedience. 

Frigga took a step back then took several steps past him to give him the room away from her that she knew he required to gather himself. After several moments the sound of chains was heard as Loki turned around.

He ignored Odin and Thor and walked to his mother, his back straight, head thrown back. Stopping next to her he met her eyes, gave as elegant a half bow to her as he could then held out his arm as though he had just asked for the pleasure to walk with her at any court function. She smiled, gave a regal nod of her head in acceptance and placed her hand on his arm. They both turned and began to walk.

After several steps they came to Odin and Loki stopped. He stared at the man he had always thought of as his father. This time there was no hint of the desperate boy that had wanted nothing more than to see any sign of approval in that one eye. This time Loki locked eyes and refused to go around. Never again would he seek this man's approval. Never again would he walk around him.

Thor stepped forward, "Brother -"

Odin held up a hand to silence his eldest then took a step backwards and to the side and allowed his wife and youngest son to continue on. Then he followed, he and Thor in silence. Loki and Frigga strolled, taking the small steps that the chains allowed Loki while his arrogance rolled off in waves. Occasionally he would lower his head towards Frigga as she said something, for all the world the two of them appearing to be on a simple stroll.

But finally the Observatory was before them and there was nothing Frigga could do to slow or stop the inevitable. Inside stood Heimdall, he didn't turn to acknowledge them, his body turned inward to face something hidden from view. Once the four of them entered the Observatory they became aware of exactly what had taken Heimdalls's full attention.

There were three of them and they couldn't be physically described other than they were tall, close to seven and a half feet. Clothed in hooded robes that were filthy and smelling of the foulest scents, they simply remained standing to the side until one stepped forward, stopping beside Odin.

Frigga looked from Loki and made to go to Odin, it was clear that she was going to make a final plea but Loki reached out and caught her up in his arms. He looked down at her and gave a gentle shake of his head then released her. Stretching himself to his full height, he raised his chin and gave her a wink. Looking to Odin, their eyes locked.

Odin spoke, "In each world they are known by a different word, here they are known as Besstraffenners." The only sound was a drawn breath by Frigga but Thor saw Heimdall's jaw clench. "Their only purpose is to serve as punishers." Odin turned his head enough to nod to the figure next to him. 

The creature moved forward to stop several feet from Loki then reached out, the robe stopping above Loki's hand. If the figure touched him he never felt it but he was fully aware of something being placed around his right wrist. No, the creature had pulled its limbs back, and now Loki looked down in fascination as something black, like a coarse wire, slithered around his wrist then up around his arm, up his shoulder to circle several times around his neck before doing the same down his left arm. Once it reached his left wrist it coiled several times then painfully tightened into Loki's skin. And the chains preventing him from using his magic dropped with a harsh clang to the floor and Loki didn't even think. He simply tried to teleport. To escape.

As the chains fell Odin was shocked but not nearly as much as when the muffled scream came from behind Loki's muzzle. His long body went on tiptoes as he simply arched back on himself and remained frozen in the air. Odin stepped forward but the creature held out his arm. Thor stepped forward to go his kings side, no one interfered with the king of Asgards wishes. 

The black wires tightened, cutting into the pale flesh, leaving black, soot-like smudges on the ivory skin. Finally the wire relaxed as Loki's body did the same. Whatever had happened to him, he looked dazed, his breathing coming ragged through his nose, his pupils dilated so wide there was only a thin ring of green left.

Thor reached out and spun Loki around, searching his brothers face as he yelled at the creature, "What did you do to him?! What did you do?"

Odin reached out and took the arm of the one son he had left, "Thor, release him." He tugged on him gently, "let him go."

"Father, you can not let them take him. Reverse your judgement. Let him serve some type of punishment here at home."

Odin shook his head, "It's too late. It is done." 

Loki had recovered himself slightly, there was blazing hatred in his eyes for Odin but he turned away from him and took the short steps to Frigga and put his hands on her shoulders then brought his arms around her, finally able to enclose his mother in them. She gave a hiss and looked up at him, her eyes wide for a moment then she looked at the black wire that encircled his arms. She went to touch it but his shaking hands captured hers in his. He shook his head.

There was no time for anything more than for Loki to push Frigga into Thor's arms and look into his brothers eyes pleading with his own. Thor understood, "Of course you fool, she's our mother. "

Loki felt himself being compelled backwards and the three creatures joined him. Odin stepped forward, walking up to Loki, he stared out of his one eye, searching for something that he didn't seem to find. His voice was low, commanding yet there was an underlaying tone of pleading, "This is your last chance. Except it. Allow yourself to become a better man, Loki. Stop fighting it." Odin leaned forward to whisper into Loki's ear, sending shivers through him despite his rage, "give in, except it. Only then can you come home. Do it for Frigga." There was a pause. "Break."

Loki stared straight ahead, his body shaking. He refused to meet anyone's gaze.

Odin pulled abruptly back and without another look walked over to stand near Thor and Frigga. On Odin's nod Heimdall opened the Bifrost and in an instant the four were gone.

Frigga, eyes blazing, spun on Odin, "what have you done? That was the most foul, dark magic I have ever sensed. Just touching Loki I could feel it sinking and binding itself to him."

Odin stared down at his wife, "I needed to punish Loki, not have him coddled by his mother or his brother." Odin glanced at Thor before looking back at Frigga. "He has to be held accountable for his actions, to understand the suffering he has caused, not just here on Asgard nor even on Midgard but throughout all the nine realms." His voice grew louder. "Or have you forgotten the deaths caused by the Marauders who were able to move at will because Thor was forced to destroy the Bifrost? That was Loki's doing. His and his alone." Odin turned and walked away, down the Bifrost Bridge, his back as straight and proud as his sons had been walking the opposite direction only a short while earlier.

Frigga turned into Thor's arms and he held her tightly. They stood that way for a long while before turning and slowly walking the Bifrost, making their own way back to the palace.

Heimdall watched them go, then walked to all that remained, the chains that had held Loki, Prince of Asgard. He stared down at them for a moment then powerfully kicked them, they slid out of the Observatory, across the Bifrost and over the edge. 

Loki kept his feet when the Bifrost deposited him on unfamiliar ground even though he was still unsteady from the punishment that had wracked his mind and body when he had tried to use his magic on Asgard. He still struggled to understand what exactly had occurred. He had felt, seen, smelled and tasted fear that burned through him in ways that he hadn't felt in a long time. And it was the knowledge of that very specific fear that had caused him to take Frigga to Thor. Even in his state he had known that he most likely would not be returning to Asgard, at least not as the same man he was now.

He looked around in curiosity as the three figures moved forward and again he was compelled to follow behind. The land was in shadow, it was unclear what time of the day or night it was since there was no visible source of the sickly, pale light. The landscape seemed rocky, under his boots he could feel sharp edges. So sharp that when in the darkness he slipped and not even his agility could help him recover, he found himself falling to his hands and forearms. 

A painful growl broke from his throat at the sharp sting as the rocks sliced into his flesh yet he could take no time to recover. He had to rise and continue to follow, even looking at his hands put him in danger of falling again. Still, he could feel the cool blood running down his arms and most likely his palms to fall off his long fingers. The thought of leaving his royal blood on this unworthy ground made him furious and want to smash something in his rage.

Finally he became aware they were climbing, gaining ground and entering jagged hills. Passing dark shadowed rocks that looked the same as every previous one, Loki kept his head down as he tried to see where he was placing his feet. He finally took the chance and looked up to find that he was before a wall of the same sharp rock except that there was a roughly cut opening, illuminated by a further, unseen flickering light source. And there were no creatures before him. Startled he spun to look behind himself but there was no one else visible in the shadows. Actually there was hardly anything visible in the shadows behind him even though he felt he should be able to see at least as well as he did coming up. Looking forward again his eyes widened as he once more felt compelled forward.

Entering what he knew must be a cavern he came to an abrupt stop at what filled his vision. Before him the cavern extended as far as he could see, massive pillars of smooth rock extending so far above that they disappeared into darkness. The floor was black sand, absorbing and reflecting nothing of the light from the few torches placed in sconces in the walls and pillars. But it was enough light to show Loki the movement at his feet and what was causing it.

Hundreds, no thousands of bodies writhing upon the sand. Here and there he saw one of the robed creatures moving about, stopping only to grab a form off the ground and drag it away. He recognized humanoid forms and many others but most he had no idea what species they represented, only that they must be like him, sent here for some sort of punishment. And it was obvious they were being punished because unlike him, the vast majority had nothing to silence their screams of agony though it seemed that many had screamed themselves silent. What now came from their throat was like sound of millions of insects skittering in the dark. Their bodies arched, twisted, rolled and crawled in a tangled mass that started a horror inside Loki at the thought that he would be a mindless object like them with no control. He saw that each was bound by the same black wire and covered in the black soot as he was and his body began shuddering and his breathing became uncontrolled. Realizing this, he blindly turned to run back outside and slammed headfirst into what was now a solid wall.

Rolling over Loki flinched and groaned while carefully shaking his head. He pushed himself up to his elbows and winced at the pain in his hands and arms. Sitting back on his heels he reached back behind his neck and felt for the release on the muzzle. The lock sprang free and he pulled it from his face, careful not to slice his mouth worse on the tongue depressor. Once he was free he flung it violently away from him and spat blood from his mouth, wishing he had water for his parched throat. At the thought he felt something uncurl inside himself and looked down at his palms. The blood had dried, black sand embedded in the wounds and he wondered if he had been knocked unconscious from striking his head against the wall.

Looking at the black wires he thought they didn't seem nearly as tight so he painfully dug into his flesh to pull one end out of his wrist. Ignoring the pain of digging into his skin he grinned in triumph as he began to unwrap the wire. Once he was free he threw the hated wire away and flexed his hands. There was a slight hesitation at the memory of the last time he had attempted to access his powers but he pushed that thought away.

"Yes!" He shouted and rose to his feet as green trails of power twisted up from his hands and arms, healing the cuts instantly, the black sand falling to the ground. Without conscious thought he healed every injury he had while changing his filthy clothes for his more formal leather battle dress. He felt the power rise in him and he knew nothing could stop him from escaping from where ever here was. Turning he strode off, throwing bodies away from his feet as he cleared a path to walk.

As strong a mage as he was he did not have the power to sense reality. A Besstraffenner stood looking down at Loki, still bound by the black wire. Slowly Loki's body began to arch and twist, his boots digging into the sand until finally he began to scream behind the muzzle.

Odin made sure to keep Thor busy with multiple duties throughout the nine realms. Diplomatic functions where he represented Asgard and negotiating treaties where he represented the All-Father. Other occasions he simply was sent to listen to discussions of merchants and tradesmen throughout Asgard itself, learning what a king should know of his people and his kingdoms innerworkings.

It was leaving on one of these assignments that Thor along with the Warriors Three and the Lady Sif found themselves in the Observatory standing before Heimdall. Thor approached and asked the same question he asked each time fate brought the two together.

"What of Loki?"

"He serves his punishment, my Prince."

Thor stared at Heimdall, his frustration radiating from his body in tense waves, blue eyes flashing angerly. It was obvious that the two had engaged in this same conversation before with the same results. 

"I want more answers than that, Heimdall. How does he fare?"

"As well as could be expected, my Prince."

Thor stared at Heimdall, fists clenching and unclenching. Every one in that Observatory knew how close Thor was to coming to blows, he was vibrating with violence. Fandral spoke quietly, "Thor, please, let us go now. No good will come of this."

After a long moment Thor turned sharply, stomping forward to stand next to his four companions he growled out, "Open the Bifrost."

The days continued this same way, no change to Thor's inquiry and his being sent repeatedly from what he saw as one pointless assignment to another. Busywork provided by Odin to keep him from thinking about Loki or worse, trying to seek him out in some type of misguided rescue. Until finally Thor could stand it no longer.

His evening had been spent drinking while others had been feasting over their latest successful skirmish, and now he was leaning against a pillar out on the balcony while staring thunderously at the Observatory. From behind him a burst of laughter caught his attention, breaking him from dark thoughts and he glared back over his shoulder in annoyance. Throwing his goblet to the floor he easily vaulted over the railing and dropped down to the courtyard below, startling the pair of guards on watch at the late hour.

From the balcony above concerned voices called to him but he ignored them and strode off purposefully. This time he was going to get his answers. No matter the cost.

By the time he had stalked the distance down the Bifrost Bridge to the Observatory sparks were leaping from his fingertips and the smell of ozone followed him. He strode into the Observatory calling out, "Heimdall, How fares my brother?"

"As well as could be expected, my Prince."

Thor strode up to the man who was one of his oldest friends and who had saved his life countless times and spat out, "No! I will have the truth! How is Loki?! Tell me!" Thor's voice rang inside the enclosed area while outside the air moved as if caught in a whirlwind

Heimdall turned to stare into Thor's eyes. After a moment he spoke.

"His mind is tortured. It is being ripped asunder. Torn from its very foundations. Soon it will reach the tipping point that Odin desires. He will no longer be the Loki you know. He will be capable to be molded into whatever shape Odin so desires. The dutiful, perfect son. And he will never be unmade again."

Thor's eyes had gone wide. His face wore a mask of horror and shock. His head shook in denial, stepping back. "No, no. I know father is furious at him but why would he do this? Why?" His voice was a whisper of disbelief.

"Your father wishes to correct the faults he sees in Loki. And the mistakes he caused to fester and become part of his son. Odin thinks he's doing best by shattering Loki so that he may be reformed as a more useful vessel."

Thor turned away, sickness rolling through him for long moments before a boiling anger slowly rose up in him. His father would not get away with this. Could not. Loki was not perfect but he didn't deserve to be.... unmade. Destroyed. Punished yes. But not this, never this. Turning back to Heimdall he met the mans yellow eyes staring deeply into his.

"Can you send me to Loki? And bring us back?"

"No."

"Why not?" Thor's words were clipped, their tone making it clear that he had no time for any excuse at this point.

"Because you will be found out and captured the moment you appear. The magic in that place is dark and most foul. It has little to compare to but it would consume you the moment you appeared. It would try to return to Asgard and I could not allow that."

"I cant simply leave Loki to be tortured! I wont."

"There is a reason Odin chose the Besstraffenners as punishers. They do not fail. Nor do they lose a prisoner due to escape."

Thor looked at Heimdall. "How do they lose them?"

"To death." A pause then, "Not every shattered vessel survives to be remade."

Thor again shook his head, "No. That will not be Loki's fate. I will not allow that to be his fate. I don't care what I have to-"

"THOR." Heimdall spoke, his pupils dilated and Thor saw his vision be drawn far away.

"What do you see? Is it Loki? Do you see Loki?" Thor grabbed Heimdall's arm and waited, he knew the man would speak when he would speak.

Finally Heimdall focused his eyes on Thor and spoke. "Thanos. I saw Thanos."

Thor stared back for a moment then asked, "Who?"

In the monstrous cavern a blue white light began to shimmer as a large portal appeared in the dim light. As the looming figure of Thanos stepped through and looked around himself, several of the Besstraffenners began to move in his direction. He stopped them with a single motion along with the words, "I have no quarrel with you my brothers." He looked down at his feet and smiled.

Loki felt nothing when the Titans massive hand reached down, and plucked his body from the black sand. Thanos tightened his hand around Loki and even though his hand couldn't fit around Loki's emaciated waist the Titan dug his fingers into the frail body and the sound of ribs cracking was heard. 

Loki would have hung limp except his muscles were unable to stop contracting, over and over again despite his having no nourishment for weeks so he continued to arch and jerk. Where the black wires touched his visible skin, there were deep black bruises that seemed to shift under his bloodless colored skin. He looked dead.

Thanos looked Loki over with a pleased smirk then gave him a slight shake as one would a broken toy, "Come my little Asgardian Prince. Tis time to wake from your slumbers to join my reality." He gave another shake, this one not so gentle.

Loki's head snapped back and his eyes fluttered open but they were unfocused and rolled back into his head.

Thanos glanced at the closest Besstraffenner with a hint of admiration. "The quality of your work hasn't been exaggerated." He reached out with his free hand and lightly ran the back of a finger along the black wire wrapped around Loki's neck. "I like this. I think we'll keep this on you for a little while longer, yes?" His smile slipped, "time to wake, sweet Princeling." He then pressed a thumb to Loki's temple. Instantly the sound of flesh sizzling and the scent of cooking meat began to fill the air.

Loki's body stretched, his eyes opened in agony and he tried to scream. Before he had been unable to speak from behind the muzzle but now all that escaped from him were sounds from deep inside, an animal in the midst of a terror filled confusion. His hands came up and grabbed the Titans thick wrist as he twisted and tried to free himself from the physical torment he suddenly was in. He kicked and tried to escape.

Thanos finally removed his thumb leaving a black scorch mark surrounded by blistered skin and brought Loki up to meet his line of sight. "There you are my little Prince." He ran the same thumb down the side of Loki's face in an almost caress. "Did you think I had forgotten about you?" Loki's eyes widened in sudden recognition but there was also utter confusion in them as he looked around. "Ah yes, did you think you were somewhere else? That perhaps you had escaped?" Thanos laughter was a deep and disturbing rumble as he brought Loki close enough to whisper in his ear, "What mind rape did they do to you? What terrible things did they force on you? And better yet, force you to do?" Loki clenched his eyes tightly shut and dropped his head, his hands tightening on the Titan's wrist. "Or did they not have to force you, that it little prince? Ah, no need to tell me just now. We have plenty of time to get reacquainted, boy."

Thanos stepped back and the portal swallowed him then closed. They were gone.


	2. Chapter 2

At 5:30 in the morning in the private residential areas of Stark Towers not everyone was usually awake. It really depended on who was in residence and what time everyone's internal clock was running on. For some, like Steve Rodgers, it really was 5:30 in the morning and he was in the gym on the treadmill. For others like Clint Barton, he'd been asleep only three hours after returning from a mission.

Then there was Tony Stark. He sat cross-legged on a stool in a dark lab, slowly twirling around and around, occasionally pushing off on the countertop. He was staring off into a spot far in the distance when the door opened and Bruce came in and flipped the lights on, flooding the space with bright light.

"Tony?" Bruce's voice was surprised, concerned. He pulled his glasses on and tilted his head as he stood still. He noticed Tony was still wearing the same faded gray sweat pants with a long sleeved black t shirt. The t shirt only had one sleeve, the other was raggedly ripped off at the elbow. He had been wearing these for three days now.

Tony let the stool slowly stop spinning till he was facing Bruce, his eyes squinting and owlishly blinking as they slowly came into focus on his friends face. He gave a tired smile. "Hey Jolly Green."

"Yeah, um, you said you were going to bed right after I left." Bruce came in slowly, like he was trying not to spook a skittish animal.

"Yeah, but then my legs fell asleep so I figured that was good enough." Tony nodded, "and I had some stuff to think about."

"Okay, like what?" Bruce came up to Tony and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "you want some help getting down from there, buddy?"

"Probably." While Bruce carefully pulled first one leg then the other out from under him Tony sucked in a deep breath, "Geeze, my whole ass is asleep too."

"Well that's kinda what happens when you spend the whole night sitting in one position. Can you stand?"

Tony gave Bruce a snort and a smirk then stood and promptly started sliding to the floor. Tony grabbed for the counter to slow his drop and Bruce made sure he didn't smack anything on the way down. "I think I'm just gonna lay here for a minute."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Bruce went over to his area of the lab and grabbed his white lab coat and pulled it on over his pale lavender t-shirt and khaki slacks. "You gotta take better care of yourself Tony. Peppers already gonna be mad at me when she comes home because of that chainsaw incident." He lifted random piles of paper, turning slowly in a circle looking for something before patting his pants pockets, "So what kept you up all night thinking?" He fished in his lab coat pocket and pulled out his glasses then went to put them on only to find he already had a pair on. "Tony?" He put the pair back in his lab coat pocket. Walking over to look down at his friend he saw Tony was passed out asleep, head resting on his arms. Bruce gave a half eye roll while tossing his head then began his morning work, he knew Tony could sleep through nearly any sounds made in the lab.

Allexandria Harris had her music playing on her phone, yesterday it had been some loud metal music but today was cinnamon rolls so classic Motown was coming from the hidden kitchen wireless speakers. Light gold brown eyes and dark brown hair pulled back into a single braid that rested just to the the middle of her shoulder blades, she was what anyone would consider a big girl. Her curves filled her black jeans while a black button up semi dress shirt was covered by a white apron. Wearing tennis shoes she moved to the music while humming and singing under her breath as she mixed ingredients from memory.

She moved effortlessly through the industrial looking kitchen. State of the art appliances filled the walls of the open floor plan. From any spot she could see out over the dining area where a single rectangular table and chairs sat with a half dozen smaller tables and chairs filling the rest of the space. Several were farther away, against the huge glass windows that made up one solid wall here on the 90th floor. Couches and over stuffed chairs were tucked off in further corners to create their own nooks and secluded spots.

Having made the dough for the first two dozen rolls last night they had gone in the oven first thing this morning and were already cooling on platters. The second two dozen were already looking good through the oven window but she knew this first batch had to be covered in sticky frosting soon because Sam would be-

"Where's my cinnamon rolls, girl?" Sam called as soon as he came up the back stairs slipping past the walk-in freezer, the second double doored fridge and the huge walk-in pantry.

Lexie laughed, "Right here, right here. Let me just finish with the frosting." 

"What? No frosting yet? You're slacking, beautiful." Wearing a brown t-shirt and jeans he looked freshly showered and shaved.

Lexie snorted and rolled her eyes, "Flattery will not get you extra rolls, Sam. Not when you can already have all you want." She finished pouring the frosting over the rolls, sprinkling mixed nuts over the top of most of them. 

Sam picked up a plate sitting on the kitchen counter along with a fork and stabbed a roll, "mmmm, my favorite day of the week." He took his plate to one of the tables in the dining area then headed back over to the buffet where trays of cut fresh fruit sat chilling in stainless steel bowls, several types of coffee on hot pads sat waiting for the first pour and a large tray of oatmeal was under a glass dome. Packs of brown sugar and butter sat in decorative little bowls. Linen napkins sat neatly folded next to cold plates and hot bowls. Chilled juice and milk filled pitchers next to glasses, just waiting.

Lexie brought the tray of rolls over to a prepared spot, went back for the plates and forks, making sure everything was looking perfect. "Need anything else, Sam?"

With a huge bite of melty, gooey roll in his mouth he shook his head while rolling his eyes. Two thumbs up gave the final verdict.

"Good to know." Lexie chuckled as she went back to the kitchen to start rolling the next batch and keep an eye on those in the oven.

The elevator opened and Steve came out, his hair damp, poking up in several directions. Wearing a pale blue t-shirt and black pants he stopped when he spotted Sam and raised an eyebrow. "Really? Really Sam?"

"What?" Sam took another bite of roll and closed his eyes, chewing contentedly.

"You couldn't make it to gym but you could make it to cinnamon rolls?" Steve sighed and continued over to the buffet where he filled one bowl with a large helping of oatmeal and another with fruit. Setting them on the table across from Sam he headed back for coffee and utensils.

"I just have my priorities straight, Cap." He stared pointedly at the fruit and oatmeal when Steve sat down. "Unlike you."

"Unlike you I know that dessert comes last. You have to earn it first." Spreading his napkin over his lap Steve called out to Lexie, "Good morning, Lexie."

"Morning, Steve." Lexie grinned at their banter as she wiped her hands before turning the music down on her phone. She cleaned as she went, already planning the rest of her day which was a pretty set routine for a Wednesday with only a couple unique stops along the way.

"I did earn it. I woke up this morning to a beautiful day and smelled cinnamon rolls. And I made it here before anyone else." Sam got up, "and I told you, no one calls it gym anymore."

The two men ate while talking about their plans for the day and various mission reports while Lexie continued to plan her day. She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought about her extra stops, trying to decide where to put them along her route to be the most efficient. 

The elevator opened again and Bruce came in, looking slightly anxious for a second as he leaned forward to look around at who was in the dinning room before coming out carefully. He did it without even being aware he was searching for threats. "Hey Cap, Sam." He took a hesitant sniff of the air and smiled at the scent of warm cinnamon rolls.

"Bruce."

"Banner"

"Good morning, Bruce. How are you this morning?" Lexie called out with a smile.

"Good, good. I hate to bother you but can I get breakfast to go? Tony's asleep in the lab and, I'd rather not, um, leave him, uh, for too long unsupervised."

Steve raised his eyebrows and exchanged a knowing look with Sam but neither said anything.

"Of course. Let me get it together. Decaf coffee is pretty good this morning." Lexie headed to the pantry to get the to-go containers.

Sam raised his eyebrows at Steve and nodded his head towards Bruce who was getting himself a cup of coffee with cream and sugar. Steve folded his arms and looked pained. Sam gave him a stern look and Steve shook his head and rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh.

"So Bruce. How's Tony doing?"

"Ah well, you know." Bruce sat at the table stirring his coffee slowly, carefully not letting his spoon touch the sides of the mug. "He's Tony."

"That bad huh?"

Bruce smiled slightly, "He's thinking about something, you know how he gets when he does that."

"Yeah, except he's always thinking about something."

"I think he just misses Pepper. He'll do better once she gets home." Tasting his coffee Bruce sighed and closed his eyes taking a larger sip.

Lexie came out and started filling two sets of the to-go containers along with coffee cups. Once she finished she carefully set everything in a large paper bag, the cups in a cardboard tray and brought it all over to the table. "Okay, Tony's stuff has a T on it, everything else is yours. And the cinnamon rolls, no nuts, extra raisins are yours, of course. Don't let him eat yours too, he's got his own. Oh, and don't forget the containers are compostable so either bring them back or put them in the compost bin not the trash."

"Got it. Thanks Lexie." Bruce finished his coffee and grabbed the bag and tray heading for the elevator.

"You are most welcome, Bruce. Don't let Tony poke you too much." Lexie said with a friendly glare.

"No, not too much."

"We'll head down with you." Steve said, setting his napkin on the table and standing.

"Yeah, breakfast was wonderful, Lexie, thank you!" Sam gave her a wave over his shoulder as he followed Steve, sliding through the doors just before they closed.

Once she was alone Lexie turned her music back up and began bussing the table, scraping plates into the compost bin Tony supplied her and filling the dishwasher. She grabbed a broom and got the whole area swept, picked up the lose bits she had collected, tossed them in the trash and wiped all the counters down. It didn't take long to finish, she sang under her breath, sometimes louder if she wasn't thinking about how bad she thought her voice was. Grabbing her phone from the docking bay and the grocery list off the fridge she slid them both into her back jeans pocket then picked up a basket of soiled linens and headed in the direction of her room, leaving silence to fill the kitchen.

Her room was back behind the kitchen, past the pantry, tucked into a corner almost feeling like an afterthought. There was a laundry area for the kitchen and this was where she pulled off her white apron and tossed it along with all the kitchen linens into a hidden laundry basket. There was a door on the wall to the right of the laundry area and Lexie went through it, entering her bedroom.

It could have been any well decorated hotel room in any city. A full size bed with a tan and white comforter was against one wall with a single drawer night stand on which sat a lamp with a plain white shade on each side of the bed. The standard round table with two chairs was in a corner while a tv sat on a four drawer dresser. The closet was an open area behind the door with a hanging bar and a shelf. The only personal items were a dozen black and white shirts hanging in the closet along with several pairs of black and khaki colored slacks. Several pairs of tennis shoes and dress flats sat neatly on the floor. Nothing else, no photos, no books, nothing. Hanging on a hook was a well used dark blue backpack that had a few nearly invisible childish doodles in ink drawn on it.

She pulled her phone out, turned her music on, the volume up all the way and started singing with the song that came on. In her own room she didn't hesitate to sing loud or move to the beat. 

Entering the bathroom Lexie began unbraiding her hair then grabbed a brush and started her one hundred brushes. She glanced around the bathroom while counting in her head, there were more personal items kept here on the counter, her brush, a bag of toiletries like her toothbrush and deodorant yet overall the bathroom still looked like the hotel maid would be in to replace the damp white towels with fresh ones. The single anomaly was the plant sitting on the counter near the sink, a healthy green, it was the one item to show a hint of Lexie's personality. 

Scowling at herself in the mirror she shook her head, "Girl, you have got to lose weight." She turned her face sideways to see her profile, "uhhg, lets not see that." She had lost track of her count somewhere around sixty because she was singing so she brushed through two more songs just for good measure till her brown hair was like silk. It hung with soft layers of waves and she pulled some forward onto her shoulders in the hopes that it would somehow hide her profile or at least break it up.

Grabbing a couple leaves from the plant, gently crushing them between her fingers then bringing them to her nose to inhale their fragrance. Peppermint, the plant was the herb peppermint and she loved the scent. She rubbed them on her wrists, neck and then pulled her blouse out to the tuck them between her bra and breast. Her body heat would release the scent all day, hopefully giving her some extra energy.

Coming out of the bathroom she grabbed her phone, paused the music and pulled the backpack off the hook, slung a strap over one shoulder and was out the door. Passing back through the pantry she stopped to get herself a to go container.

The pantry was the size of most bedrooms, filled with boxes, cans and bottles of various supplies needed to feed at least a half dozen people at a moments notice. People who all had different likes along with requests that they could put in without the slightest notice. People who could eat a meal made for a family of four all by themselves and still have room for a carton of ice cream. She grabbed several different types of to-go containers then headed into the dining area and started filling one with the fruit that was still chilling in the ice.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"Yes Miss?"

"I'm headed out, you know my schedule and my extra stops today." She grabbed four giant cinnamon rolls and smashed them into a container that they were slightly too large for and slid that into a paperbag.

"Yes Miss." Even though there was silence it was as if the AI wanted to say something else.

"You can say it J.A.R.V.I.S." Lexie faintly smiled as she grabbed a metal fork and wrapped it in a linen napkin. She slid these into the backpack and slung it over both shoulders and took several long moments to try to pull her hair out from under it before huffing and taking off the pack. Twisting her hair into one long strand she got the pack on and arranged her hair. She grabbed the paper bag and turned towards the elevator.

"This morning when I asked, you said you had a restful night. Was that accurate?"

"Yep. No dreams, or if I did I cant remember them so they must have been okay. Just like normal. And nothings wrong today, just like every other day." Lexie was at the elevator and hit the button. "So I will see you later, have a good day, don't let Tony drive you nuts and remind Bruce to eat lunch." The doors opened and she stepped in. "There's a lunch bag in the fridge for him and Tony." The doors closed.

J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice came through the speaker in the elevator, "I will be sure to remind him. Though I doubt Mr. Stark will be awake. He awoke earlier and Mr. Banner gave him a sedative."

"How in the world did he get him to take one?" Lexie had a look of disbelief on her face and in her voice.

"He dissolved it in a glass of sixty year old scotch."

The elevator doors opened in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s private lobby just in time for Lexie's laugh to bubble out and get the attention of several employees. They glanced at her but kept on their business, they recognized her. She headed to the entrance/exit where the agents were checking ID's of those coming in. 

Lexie grabbed her phone, pulled up a QR code and held it out under a barcode scanner as she walked through the body scanner. "Hey Marvin. How goes it today?" She asked the closest agent who was a tall well built African American man with arms and shoulders that strained his black suit jacket.

"Very well Ms. Harris. And you?" He smiled while keeping an eye the few people coming and going.

"Pretty good but this bag is kinda heavy. Think you could take it off my hands?" Lexie held it out to him.

His eyes got big and he grinned whiled taking the bag and giving it a sniff. "Oh my goodness, cinnamon roll day, I love this shift." He gave a laugh.

"Enjoy, Marvin. Have a great day." Lexie headed for the doors to head out to the New York City early summer.

"You too Ms. Harris."

Once outside Lexie reached back into a side pocket of her back pack, removed a set of ear buds and plugged them into her phone then placed them into her ears. She found the latest pop music, looked both ways at the mass of humanity moving on the sidewalk and merged in to it.

Lexie hummed along with the catchy tunes, most weren't her style but she did like to know what was out there and there were a few that she really did love. She kept her pace up, weaving in and out of those who were slower while staying out of the path of those who were faster. Her head bobbed along and she hummed to the catchier tunes she knew. 

She hit the closest farmers market, pulled a large canvas shopping bag from her pack and started shopping. She had her regular stands she hit so it took her about 45 minutes to grab everything she needed, paying with her Stark credit card on her phone. Once she was finished she headed to the organizers booth to make arrangements to have the bag and the bulk items she had picked out delivered to Stark Towers. 

Back out on the sidewalk she walked until she found a local florists shop and went inside. The bell chimed over the door, Lexie heard it as she pulled out her ear plugs and turned her phone off, tucking it into her pocket. She smiled at the ladies working the shop, took a deep breath of the various floral scents and started looking around. She hadn't gotten more than a few steps before one of the women came from behind the counter and headed her way.

"Can I help you?" The voice was clipped as if the speaker wasn't sure she could be of service.

Lexie turned around with a smile for the woman who wore a slight frown. "yes, I'm looking for a live plant as a gift for a good friend of mine."

There was a subtle raise of a single eyebrow, "Live plants can be costly." There was a barely noticeable hesitation, "Perhaps a bouquet would be something more to your interest?"

The smile never slipped, Lexi's expression never showed a single emotion, "No, thank you for your concern over my finances however I'm looking to purchase a live plant. You do sell these live plants, correct?" Lexie gestured to the selection of potted plants without taking her eyes off the woman's now flushed face.

"Well, yes of course." She turned away, "What are you looking for?"

"Hmm, this year I was thinking of an orchid, something unique though."

The woman glanced back at Lexie then motioned ahead of herself, "Right this way."

Almost exactly ten minutes later the woman was sliding clear cellophane wrapping down the length of a beautifully tall, orchid with cream colored flowers. Lexie took out her phone and this time paid with her personal credit card, this wasn't Stark business even though it had everything to do with Tony Stark. 

"I'm sorry, but your card wasn't accepted." The woman was looking at her with the most evil smirk on her face. She reached for the plant to pull it out of Lexie's arms.

Lexie frowned. "Can you try it again? There is no reason for it to be denied."

"No, sorry, I can't do that. Store policy."

Suddenly the electronic cash register began spitting out a receipt. The woman stepped back, startled, once it was done she reached out and hesitantly took the paper and read it. Her eyes widened and she looked at Lexie, back at the receipt then back at Lexie, handing it over while slowly pushing the plant back across the counter.

Frowning Lexie took the receipt and read, THIS PUCHASE IS A GIFT FROM STARK INDUSTRIES. And under that were the words, 'Stop trying to buy your own shit. Love, Tony.'

Ignoring the woman whose mouth now hung open Lexie grabbed her pot and headed out, muttering, "Don't tell me what to do, I'll buy my own shit if I want to. You're not the boss of me. Well, you are the boss of me, but I can spend my own money if I want to."

Still muttering under her breath she hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address then sat back while stuffing the ear buds back in and finding the calming sounds of the ocean to listen to. The plant buckled in next to her, she took out her bowl of fruit and ate her lunch while watching the city neighborhoods go by. By the time she arrived at her destination she had repacked her bowl and fork and was ready to face this stop.

Lexie climbed the steps and knocked on the door while looking at the familiar numbers, 177A. She shifted the plant from one arm to the other while waiting for the door to open. After a few seconds more she heard a loud thumping sound at the door, as if someone were trying to open it from the other side but having a rather difficult time. Her eyebrows went up and she pursed her lips but otherwise just waited.

The door opened and a man in a light blue sweater and jeans was looking down at her, dark brown hair with white streaks on the sides giving him a rather dashing air. "Hello Lexie."

She smiled up at him, "Hello Dr. Strange."

He looked at the plant in her arms, "Is that a Japanese Monkey Orchid?"

"Why yes it is, how did you know?"

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her archly, "I am the Sorcerer Supreme."

Lexie snorted, rolled her eyes and laughed as she walked past the good Dr. into the Sanctum, "Yeah? Well I think you have excellent eyesight and just read the tag on the pot."

He shrugged with a toss of his head, "Well, there's that too."

Back at Stark Towers Bruce was sitting at his desk while eating his sandwich, munching chips and still sipping his now cold decaf coffee. He had a binder in front of him that he was highlighting and muttering over. Occasionally he would glance over to the floor where Tony was once more sleeping. He had one balled up lab coat under his head and Bruce had wrapped another around his eyes to hopefully block out the light to help him sleep longer.

Bruce's whole body jumped, spilling coffee all over his notes as he heard and felt a thud go through at least the top half of the building. Looking up then around carefully he stood up slowly, "Uh, J.A.R.V.I.S?"

"Dr. Banner, Mr. Odinson has landed on the roof. Shall I notify the rest of the team in the building?"

"Yeah, yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Bruce glanced at Tony while wiping his palms on his pants then headed to the elevator.

It took another call out to JA.R.V.I.S. to find out where Thor had actually ended up but when Bruce, Steve and Sam all got out of the elevator on the dinning floor they found Thor sitting at the large table with a fork and an entire tray of cinnamon rolls that he was happily munching through. With his mouth full he held up his fork in greeting and nodded his head while waving them over.

"Rogers! Banner! Wilson!" Thor finished off his coffee and set the mug on the table where another full one sat waiting. "Where is Stark? I have news we must discuss."

Steve and Sam sat down while Bruce remained standing, arms folded across his chest while nervously raising himself up and down on his toes. His fingers plucked at his shirt sleeve. Steve spoke for them all, "Tony had a long night in he lab. What kind of news, Thor?"

"Loki has escaped."

"Whaat?" Bruce's rather low voice ended on a high note, "what'd ya mean he escaped? From Asgard? Thor! How could you let that happen?" Bruce sat down at the table, looking at Thor in near panic while also looking around the room as though expecting Loki to leap out from behind a potted palm.

"Now rest easy Banner, he didn't escape from Asgard but rather from an off-world prison." Thor stuffed another forkful of cinnamon roll in his mouth.

Now it was Sam's turn, he crossed his arms, "Oh, so that makes it all better? I thought you guys were gods or something?"

Thor frowned, "Yes but that doesn't mean we can control everything. Loki had help."

"Help?" Steve frowned, "What kind of help?"

Thor turned serious and put his fork down which the three men noticed and exchanged worried glances. If Thor stopped eating this wasn't going to be good at all. "The Thanos kind of help."

Bruce frowned, "Who?"

"Thanos. Also known as the Mad Titan." Thor looked to Sam, "If you wish to speak of gods, then he would be one you would mention first. He isn't well known on this side of the galaxy, I had to get Heimdall to speak of him to me, to explain everything."

"Wait, if he isn't known on this side of the galaxy then why would he be an accomplice of Loki's?" Steve frowned while leaning forward, "How would they have even met?"

"When I destroyed the Bifrost it created a wormhole beneath us. All we can surmise is that when Loki fell from the Bifrost he fell into the wormhole and was cast out on the other side of the galaxy where he joined with Thanos. Which makes sense because the Chitauri are also not from this side."

"Which could be why Loki needed the tesseract and Erik Selvig to open a portal to allow them through." Bruce spoke thoughtfully, holding his glasses and tapping them against his palm.

The elevator opened and Tony stepped out. He staggered slightly but not too badly. He now wore his dark sunglasses but still had the lab coat around his head, pushed up like a towel on his head. He walked past Thor, giving him a fist bump on the shoulder, "Hey Point Break."

"Stark." Thor watched Tony go by with a puzzled expression, he had no idea why his friend and Fellow Avenger had this object on his head but didn't wish to offend by commenting on it. He looked to the three Midgardians for direction but they seemed to be having their own wordless telepathic discussion.

Sam was staring at Steve, jerking his head at Tony who was now at the buffet loading a bowl with fruit. Steve was leaning forward to look at Bruce who was shaking his head with wide eyes and waving his hands back and forth, clearly not willing to be the one to break the news to Tony.

Who was now sitting at the table staring at Bruce who turned in his seat and found himself staring into the black, depthless orbs of Tony's sunglasses. Bruce couldn't tell if Tony's eyes were open, if Tony was asleep again or if his eyes were closed in prayer over his fruit bowl but Bruce gave a nervous laugh and said, "Hey Tone, Tony. Uh, Thor has some news."

Thor was shaking his head no until Tony slowly turned to look at him. Thor smiled. "Loki has escaped. With the help of a mad god who destroys the population if not of an entire planet then at least half of them."

Sam nearly stood up in his chair, "Oh my God, you never said that!" He banged a fist on the table. "Way to leave out half the story."

"Ohh, Thor," Bruce was rubbing his chest like he was having pain, "that's kinda important."

Tony just stared. Then in an abrupt motion he sent the fruit bowl sliding down the table, only Steve's reflex's kept it from hitting the floor. Still silent Tony pulled the tray of cinnamon rolls away from Thor, stabbed his fork into one and slowly pulled the entire giant roll out of the sticky frosting and proceeded to take a bite out of it.

Steve put an elbow on the table, rested his head on it while rubbing at it and shook his head with a deep and long suffering sigh.

The elevator opened and Clint came out stretching and wiping sleep from his eyes, still wearing the sweats he had slept in. His hair sticking up in all directions, he sniffed and gave a tired grin, "Hey, its cinnamon roll day."

Lexie set her empty tea cup on the table in front of her and looked at the man staring at her from the other side. They were seated in a room that could be in any part of the world and from the earthy jungle smell in the room, was most likely not in New York. The room looked like it came straight from a movie set where spies were going to meet to sail a steamer up a jungle river to search for treasure. It was amazing and Lexie loved it. 

She took a deep breath, "MMm, I could live in this room. It's my favorite."

"I know." Strange gave a faint smile, elbows on the arms of his chair, his fingers resting on his chin.

Lexie gave a wry grin, "Well, thank you for our conversation about the weather and the latest gossip at Stark Towers. And for the tea, it was refreshingly weird as always."

Dr. Strange gave her a slight head nod but didn't break eye contact.

"So now its time to get to my reason for coming."

Now Strange shook his head and spoke softly, "You don't have to do this, you've never had to do this." He motioned to the orchid sitting on the table.

"Are you saying my life isn't important enough to thank the man who saved it?"

Strange slightly grimaced with a shake of his head, "You don't have to do this every year."

"Well maybe I won't next year."

"That's what you said last year."

"Did I?" The teasing grin slid from Lexie's face "Seriously, thanks for everything you did for me, you didn't have to."

Now Strange's face was intense, his eyes locked on hers and he leaned forward, "Yes I did. Lexie, you did an incredibly brave," he shrugged, "and stupid thing and paid too high of a price." His eyes were hard and had lost all kindness.

Lexie couldn't keep eye contact, she nodded, "I know." 

Strange looked uncomfortable, "Actually you don't"

Lexie held up her hand, insisting, "I do, I was there, remember?" Now Strange closed his eyes for a moment. "The way you feel, that's how I feel." Strange shook his head. "Its important that you understand that I appreciate what you did." He went to speak and she leaned forward, cutting him off, "You could have handed me off to someone else and you didn't. I wasn't your specialty but you still took care of me and that's important to me." Lexie took a deep breath and stood, Strange did as well, "So, I know I'll see you around but you're just going to have to see me again next year where I will bring you another plant for your collection. Agreed?"

Strange came around the table. "Agreed." He pulled her into a hug. "Do something for me?" She nodded against his chest. "If you ever, need to talk or feel bothered, you'll come to me? Myself or Stark." He felt her nod.

From out of no where Dr. Strange's red Cloak of Levitation came around Lexie and joined in the hug. There was silence for several long seconds before Lexie's muffled voice was heard, "Well this is awkward.".

"Yes it is." Strange let her go and stepped back, his Cloak seemed offended and went back to wherever it had come from.

Tony had his head resting on the table. His sunglasses were off, the lab coat was now a pillow. His eyes were open and staring and occasionally blinking. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, asking questions, trying to figure out what to do. Tony sat up, "Tell me his name again."

Thor looked at him, "Thanos."

"And this Thanos helped Loki attack New York?"

"Yes, it seems to be."

"He did help him or it seems to be that he helped him?" Tony took his finger and swiped at the cinnamon roll tray but it was sadly empty as were all the trays. Even the frosting was gone. As was the fruit. Even the sandwiches in the fridge that Lexie left for lunch were gone. All that was left was the oatmeal and no one, not even Steve, was going to eat that.

"He must have helped him." Thor folded his arms and faced Tony, "we knew he couldn't have gotten the Chitauri to follow him on his own. And he as much as told me that someone had shown and given him power. And he was different," Thor shook his head, "I've seen him angry and I've seen him lost. But I've never seen him that unreachable."

Tony stood and stretched, "Well we're going to have to call Fury in on this one." The elevator opened and Natasha stepped out. "Ah, speak of the devil and his agent appears."

Nat ignored Tony as she walked over to Thor with a smile on her face, "Hey there, how's my favorite Asgardian?"

Thor gave her a hug, "Well, well, I am well." He gave a strained smile.

Natasha looked at everyone else and was about to speak when her eyes were caught by all the empty trays on the table. They saw her sniff the air and her eyes narrow as she looked at each one. They all shifted uncomfortably. Bruce wouldn't even look at her. Nat looked at Clint with a raised eyebrow, "Really? You didn't even save me one?"

He looked wide eyed, "Hey they were almost all gone by the time I got here."

Nat didn't look impressed, "I see how it is, Barton." She turned on her heel and headed through the dining room and out of the kitchen.

Everyone exhaled. Tony rubbed his temples, "So can your friend Heiny see Loki?"

"Heimdall. And no, he cant."

"But he could see him before? In prison?" Bruce looked confused.

Thor shifted uncomfortably, "Yes, he could see Loki."

Natasha came back into the kitchen with something in her hands and put it in the microwave, setting the timer.

Steve noticed what they all did, "What else are you not telling us, Thor? What did Heimdall see in the prison?"

Thor looked at the floor then up at them, they could see his pain on his face, "He saw Loki being tortured."

Everyone but Clint looked surprised. Bruce blinked rapidly, "Odin had his own son tortured?"

"And I thought my old man was a hard ass." Tony shook his head.

Everyone suddenly focused on Nat as she came over to sit at the table with a plate of freshly heated cinnamon rolls and proceeded to take a bite out of one. She closed her eyes and moaned, "Mmm, that's wonderful. God, I love cinnamon roll day."

Lexie was in the grocery store with her phone in her hand shopping. She was going up and down the rows ordering right off the shelves and having it all delivered right to Stark Towers. This way she could see what was on sale, what looked in season, what was in stock plus she just liked the time to browse. She had her ear phones in, music playing, old school rock and roll which she was humming to, moving her head to the beat.

A text message interrupted the music and she checked it. From Tony it was simple, Three more for dinner, Thor, Fury and Rhodey. Raising an eye brow she went into her electronic shopping cart and doubled the amount of steaks, bread and potatoes. And with that she paid the bill and hit the deliver button, there was no more time to browse in the store.

She did take the time to go and grab a simple bouquet of flowers from near one of the check out aisles. Standing in line her text alert went off again, Thor wants candy bars, says you know which ones. The lines were long and she was next so she had no desire to go get a sealed, full box. Thankfully there was a nearly full one in the display behind her and she grabbed it and set it on the belt.

She felt a tap on her sleeve and smiled back at a sweet looking, white haired, elderly lady, "Dear, you'll never lose weight and find a young man if you keep eating candy bars."

Lexie's smile froze yet not a single emotion crossed her face even though she could feel heat flooding her face. Her voice was pleasant as she said quietly, "They're for a friend."

The woman sighed and shook her head, clearly not believing Lexie who turned back and paid cash for her purchases. She shoved the box of candy bars into her back pack and gripped the flowers in a stranglehold as she marched back to Stark Towers.

The dinning area was empty as nearly everyone had congregated in the casual seating area overlooking the city skyline. With still at least an hour before sunset there was a beautiful golden glow in the air, even the few buildings still under final repairs from the damage several years earlier were strangely beautiful with their scaffolding.

Lexie was working on getting the last of the dinner buffet dishes set up, Nat sat on the couch with her legs resting on Clint's lap while they spoke with Fury who sat leaning forward in his seat. Whatever the three of them were talking about was low enough no one else could hear.

Steve and Sam stood next to Bruce while looking out the huge window. Sam took a sip of his beer, "You okay, Doc?"

Bruce glanced over at him, arms folded tightly against his chest he looked like he was keeping himself from floating away. A quick, faint smile then he looked back out over the city, "A lot of memories out this window." His voice was low.

Steve nodded absently, "our first introduction to what Loki was really capable of."

"Is." Bruce correctly. "Is capable of. Don't forget that, Cap." Bruce's voice was firm, "He'll destroy all of this again at the first chance he gets." He would have said more but movement from outside on the open deck stopped him and he turned to walk away.

Thor, Tony and Rhodey brought in plates of grilled steaks while the large grill vanished from view as it retracted below the deck. 

Rhodey and Tony were still arguing on the same point as when they had first gone out with raw steaks, "Tony, I'm telling you. You have to go straight mesquite wood. Nothing else. I don't care what you say."

Tony rolled his eyes with a raspberry, "And Im telling you, With my suit I can grill you a perfect steak in seconds."

"Yeah, and it'll taste exactly like your suit. Nasty and funky with just a hint of foot." They set the meat on the table, "come on Thor, back me up."

"Well I must say, on Asgard I only cook over a wood flame."

"Boom!" Rhodey threw his hands up. "Thank you." He looked at Tony in triumph.

Nat grinned over her beer and called out from the couch, "Wait, Thor, you cook?"

The big god grinned, "yes, I do. Or at least in my youth I did. There were many an evening where after a successful hunt we would cook our kill over a fire. Sif and the Warriors Three could bring down any game once Loki had tracked it, then it was simply a matter of-" Thor stopped, an uncomfortable expression coming over his face. He looked down, his good humor had fled.

The quiet in the room was loud. The only sounds were Lexie in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on a few last dishes.

Tony broke the silence, "Your brother seems like too much a diva to be Elmer Fudding it in the great outdoors." Thor stared at him in confusion.

Nat quickly explained, "He means Loki doesn't seem the type to be out in the woods, too much dirt and bugs."

Thor faintly smiled and shook his head, speaking fondly, "Loki is one of the best trackers on Asgard. He could track the wind across a sea. Once he was on a track he wouldn't stop till he was successful, even if the rest of us had long given up he would bring down the prey himself."

Clint muttered, "Can't see him having the guts to face a wild animal himself."

Thor's voice was low and dangerous, "You were speaking, Agent Barton?"

Steve spoke a quiet, warning, "Clint."

Clint glared back fearlessly, "Yeah. From my experience he gets others to do his dirty work for him. He doesn't have the courage to face danger himself."

Thor looked over people in the room, then let out a quiet breath, "When I was young a far village road had a band of robbers who would attack travelers. When local soldiers would search, the attacks would stop, only to start up again once the search was called off. Several travelers had been harmed but nothing serious. Then one day a young girl was attacked and father had had enough. He sent soldiers from the palace to deliver justice." Thor shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels while staring at the floor.

"And?" Steve broke the silence.

Thor looked up into his face. "Nothing. The bandits faded into the forests. The soldiers finally returned." Now Thor raised his chin at glared at Clint. "The day they returned Loki disappeared. For nearly a half of a Midgardian year he was gone, no word other than what our mother could say. That he was alive but blocking her. He tracked them through the forests, across mountains and hunted every last one of them down. Not one of them escaped and until he left, that road had been free from all danger because every time Loki killed one of them their body appeared hanging from a gallows in the village square. He claimed that village and made it known what he would do if anyone ever brought harm what was his."

There was a violent silence. No one seemed to want to even draw a breath.

"So Agent Barton. Don't you ever say my brother lacks courage. Loki can be fearless when he so choses."

Tony looked intently at Thor with a raised eyebrow, "and how old was our little Loki when this happened?"

"It's difficult to compare an Asgardian gods level of maturity to a Midgardian's but if you were to just compare ages, he would have been approximately ten."

That got a reaction. Mostly one where everyone shook their head and muttered a curse. Except for Bruce, he sat down with a hand to rub at his forehead.

Thor shrugged, "Loki has always enjoyed succeeding where our father has failed. This was him showing he could do what the Allfather could not." Thor gave a slight smile then added quietly, "It did not go over well when he returned."

Clint couldn't help himself, "So he's pretty much been a murdering little shit his whole life."

Nat gave him a kick in the ribs and Steve moved in front of Thor to block him even though he did get pushed back several steps. "Thor, Thor, stop!" A fierce glare at Clint, "And Barton, that's enough from you. We're here to figure out how we're gonna solve this problem, not make it worse by fighting among ourselves."

Which only set off nearly everyone, their voices growing in volume. In the kitchen Lexie froze, her eyes wide as she listened and watched as everyone just seemed to get louder.

"ENOUGH!" Fury had been sitting quietly watching this entire exchange with only his eyes moving and now he stood because he was finished listening to these so-called hero's argue like drivers over a parking space. Silence. "Thor, now you know your brother is snake bit crazy. And you know Barton hates him and you know why Barton hates him so cut him some slack. And agent Barton," he turned to catch that man in his one good eye, "you know exactly how Thor feels about his brother so quit pushing his damn buttons." Fury looked everyone over with a deadly glare before giving a chilling smile. "Good. Now I'm starving, so lets eat."

It was after dinner that everyone had gathered back in the living area and the real discussion began. Nearly everyone had a drink of their choice though most had decided to stick with water since the heated argument earlier. 

Tony was one of the exceptions, though he sat nursing his drink while staring at Lexie who was clearing the dinning room. "Alright, son of a god, start with the beginning, again."

Bruce groaned, "Tony, we've been over this, Loki escaped, some other crazy god busted him out of prison and now he's out there doing who knows what just waiting to come back and finish what he started."

Tony shook his head, "I want to know why Odin had his kid locked up and tortured." He looked hard at Thor. "That seems important to me."

Thor leaned forward in his seat. "Odin wants Loki unmade."

"What the hell does that mean?" Sam couldn't help asking with a look at everyone.

"It means he wants Loki's mind broken so he can put it back together the way he wants it, without the faults of being the God of Mischief or Lies. He would create him anew."

Again the silence filled the room. Tony gulped his drink down then got up to go to the bar, cursing under his breath.

Rhodey sat on the arm of the couch next to Nat with his arms folded, now he shrugged, "Its been done with prisoners of war, pretty common. I'm guessing this would be a punishment for New York?"

Thor nodded, "Yes, and for his other transgressions against the other realms. Father cant be seen giving Loki any special favoritism just because he is his son."

Steve frowned, "So he goes the opposite direction and gives him a worse punishment. Just so no one can ever point to Loki as an excuse." Steve shook his head, "I don't like torture."

Clint sat next to Nat, arms folded, head down looking like a teen being forced to sit through grown up conversation. "Its only Loki." he muttered and Nat pinched his arm. "Oww," He scowled at her and she ignored him.

Tony finished this drink and poured another then sat back down next to Bruce. "So I'm sure daddy Odin is pretty unhappy about his baby boy escaping the whole mind makeover." Thor said nothing, he simply stared down at his hands clenched into fists in front of him. "He doesn't know he escaped, does he?" Tony shook his head and went to take a drink but Bruce reached over and took the drink from his hand and gulped it down. Tony stared at him, lips pressed together crookedly, eyebrows in a frown. Bruce handed him back the empty glass. 

Thor finally spoke, "I'm hoping to find Loki before he finds out."

"Then what? Return him for more torture?" Steve's blue eyes blazed.

"No, I was hoping that perhaps he could serve a sentence here on Midgard. Perhaps with S.H.I.E.L.D. or another appropriate agency."

Fury looked interested and nodded. "That might be something I can look into." He stood, "So we first need to find Loki, somewhere out there in the un-seeable galaxy."

Thor raised his eyes, "Director Fury, do you think you can do this?"

Fury gave a faint smile, "I might know someone who could help."

"And he would be willing to do this?"

"Yes, I think she would be."

Later that evening Lexie had finished the kitchen clean up, the load of laundry and had retreated to her room. Everyone else had long ago disappeared to their own personal space and activities, Thor would be staying in his guest room but was now on the roof star gazing.

Having just grabbed her sleep shirt from under her pillow she didnt look surprised when there was a knock at her door. When she opened the door she saw Tony standing there with a faint smile on his face.

"Hey," he said as he walked past her and dropped himself onto her love seat.

"Come on in, Tony, have a seat." She closed the door.

Tony frowned at the bouquet of flowers that sat in a simple glass vase on the table. "Please tell me those aren't the flowers I bought you."

"No, they are not. Those are the flowers I bought my self." She came over and sat next to him. "You actually bought a very nice Japanese Monkey Orchid for Strange."

Tony looked like he was going to be ill, "Please tell me I didn't buy Mr. Wizard monkey flowers?"

Lexie gave a chuckle, her eyes sparkled even in the faint light from the bed lamp, "That's what you get for taking over my account."

"That's what I get for trying to be nice." Tony closed his eyes and leaned back. There was a pleasant silence for a long moment before he asked, "So you're okay today? Last night? No nightmares? Day mares? Female horses of any kind?"

"None. I told you, I haven't had any." Her voice was even, nearly toneless. Her face was blank as she stared out the window over the lights of the city.

Tony opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Lexie. "I'm not sure I believe you."

Lexie met his eyes and sighed, "I wasn't awake for most of it, you know that. I don't remember anything. Would you rather I did?"

"God no." He stood abruptly and ran both hands through his hair then wrapped them around his neck. "You would tell me if you did, right? So I could do something about it? Fix it?"

Lexie sighed, "Of course." She stood and went over to him and gave him a hug.

He tightened his grip on her, taking a deep breath, "Okay, just as long as you know I would do anything for you."

"I know."

"You smell nice." Lexie gave a startled chuckle. "Like Christmas."

"Its peppermint."

Tony let her go and stood back to look at her with a faint yet exhausted grin, "You got candy canes in here? Been holding out on me?"

She shook her head, "A plant, a peppermint plant, Tony. The scent gives you energy."

"Remind me to buy a peppermint tree farm." He headed towards the door and pulling it open he looked back at her, "Good night, Allexandria Harris." He left the room and pulled the door shut. Leaning back on the doorframe he closed his tired eyes and seemed to almost fall asleep for a moment before rousing himself and walking away.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., get the coffee going in the lab, we've got us a Loki to catch."


	3. Chapter 3

In an undiscovered corner of the universe on a planet full of fire and half formed continents the ground heaved and steamed. Jagged red rocks crumbled into glass fragments and sand that cut and ground all that it touched. The air stank of the primal chemicals of a world forming and clouds of it whipped through the air.

It was here, deep in a hidden pocket of a bubble from a lava tube, that the Titan known as Thanos sat on a rock and watched with a passive disinterest as his toy was killed again. Lit only by bonfires among the rocks, the cave was large enough to still have shadows all around its edges. The air shimmered slightly from the radiant heat coming off every surrounding surface.

For this death Loki had been hung from his wrists so that he could be impaled with thousands of thin dull rods, each shoved into and through him by several servants of Thanos. No longer worth being tortured by a child of Thanos, he had become a reward for whomever Thanos chose. Now he had been pierced so often that this latest acolyte was actually having to search for an open area, not a single hidden or secret spot had been left unruptured.

His face was dripping with gore, his eyes gone, ears, nose and throat had been some of the first targets. And yet Loki still wore the metal muzzle from Asgard. Not even that had been given him, the right to scream out his pain. Now, his body struggled no more, it hung limp, the chest didn't rise, there was no struggle to breathe. His pain was gone.

Thanos turned his head in contemplation then wordlessly motioned to a figure hidden in the deeper shadows of the large chamber. Ebony Maw came forward and touched Loki on the back of his bloody head. A gray ooze seemed to swirl around Loki's head before curling down his face and sliding into his nose. In a few seconds Loki's body shuddered and he took a ragged breath. And he lived again.

"Take them out." Thanos said, picking up several rocks and throwing them absently. "Then begin again."

As the rods came out the wound slowly closed up, healed but no less painful coming out than going in. Once his face was healed and he was able to gather the strength, Loki met the Titan's eyes and something in them caused the Titan to rise and stalk over to Loki, violently removing the muzzle.

"You have something to say, boy?" His words bounced off the walls, vibrating inside everyone.

Loki vomited, dark black blood coming out of him in foul smelling gouts. He couldn't stop. The rotten blood had filled him and now his body expelled it, down his chin, it covered him, pooling at his feet, till finally it ran bright red. His throat freshly torn again. He wheezed, his breathing labored but he got the words out in a agonizing whisper that while no one else may have understood them, Thanos did. "I. Am. A. God."

Thanos roared and brought his massive fist down on Loki's face. He grabbed him by his hair and pummeled Loki. He pulled the chains from the ceiling so he could throw him into the far wall. He stalked over as Loki weakly rolled over to his back, a faint grin on his face till Thanos placed his booted foot on Loki's chest and pressed him down into the ground, crushing him. Thanos' rage filled the chamber. Loki's last thought before death claimed him once more was victory, he had chosen his own method of death this time. And now he knew that Thanos could lose.

Carol Danvers neatly landed on the party deck of Stark Towers. Fury was the only one standing outside to greet her and he did with a smirk, "nice entry."

"Yeah well, first impressions and all that." She shook his outstretched hand with her own smile.

"Like you care what these guys think." They moved to head inside, the summer sun was bright and it beat down on them as they entered through a double sized automatic sliding door.

"No but it doesn't hurt to let them know I don't need a metal suit." She focused her attention on the people who were assembled in the large room. Fury had told her who would be there however she now put faces with names.

Steve was closest and he stepped forward first, hand outstretched, "Ma'am, Steve Rodgers."

"Carol." They shook hands and she gave him a closer look, "You did good work with the 107th. Sorry about your friend."

"Thank you." Steve stepped back while his jaw muscle tensing was his only expression.

Carol looked to the next man, "Lt. Col. James Rhodes?"

Rhodey looked surprised, "Affirmative." They shook hands professionally.

She smirked, "I keep up on my fellow Air Force pilots."

He gave her a nod with an interested smile.

Tony rolled his eyes and stepped forward and took her hand and gave the back of it a kiss, "Tony Stark, if you've heard of them then you know all about me." His smile was a lazy tease.

"Stark?" She frowned, "Not sure I've heard the name."

Rhodey couldn't help himself, he snorted and laughed behind his hand and looked to Fury, "Can we keep her?" Even Steve had a smile while he rocked back on his heels. 

Tony stared for a long moment then grinned, "I like you, you can stay."

Carol gave him a nod and looked behind him where she caught sight of someone with folded arms leaning against a couch. Bruce nodded and waved awkwardly, "Bruce Banner."

Carol nodded while her eyes softened slightly, "Dr. Banner."

Thor walked assertivly in from the other room right up to her, stopping only feet away to stare down at her. His eyes studied her and she returned the intensity. Finally he spoke, his voice was a low rumble, "Loki is my brother and I won't have a bounty placed on his head that results in him being harmed. Is that clear?"

Carol turned her head to study him, narrowing her eyes before answering, "I have no control over what others do." She raised her chin, "But I'm thinking it might be easier to simply look for Thanos rather than Loki. I'm not sure who knows your brother but odds are that someone has heard of a mad Titan named Thanos."

Thor stared a hard moment longer then he gave a jerk of his head and stepped back.

"Okay," Tony clapped his hands, "lets have a seat and call this meeting of Operation Space Avengers to order."

With everyone seated around the large conference table Steve asked, "If you don't mind me asking, ma'am, but just exactly what help can you provide?"

"I can get the word out to a large portion of the galaxy that we're looking for Thanos. And hopefully someone will see something."

"So a space version of see something, say something?" Everyone ignored Tony.

"Not even Heimdall can see them and he can see everyone, trillions of souls." Thor glared at Carol.

She shrugged, "Well maybe someone will see something that will lead us to someone who will lead us to someone else. All information will be followed up."

Rhodey frowned, "And just what are we using to pay for this information? I'm guessing no ones going to take even Tony's credit card. So what's the currency?"

Carol smiled, "you would be surprised at what will be accepted in trade for information. We just need a source of various valuables." She looked to Tony and raised an eyebrow.

Tony stared at her for a moment then raised his hands, "Not sure what you've got in mind Space Ranger but I've got a girlfriend so," he shrugged, "my greatest asset is off the table. But if she gives her okay I'm willing if you are."

Steve just shook his head and closed his eyes. Bruce did the same but dropped his head onto a hand. Rhodey glared, "Jesus Tony. Sexual harassment much?" He shook his head. "Just ignore him."

Tony hadn't taken his eyes from Carol. "Yeah, they only use me for my money." Tony grinned at Rhodey, "oh, wait, what's that make me? Yep, your sugar daddy!"

Bruce cringed, "Tony, please, this is just getting creepy. And really uncomfortable."

"Come on, Jolly Green, loosen up." Tony gave him a lazy grin, "I know you can't offer your services but you can always come along and watch if-"

Bruce's fist slapped down on the table top and every male in the room sat up straight. The silence and tenseness was overwhelming. Only Carol sat back in her chair relaxed, looking at Bruce who was taking deep breaths while staring at his fist. Finally he looked up to meet Carol's eyes, "I'm sorry. That wasn't very professional of me." His voice was tight. His mouth a slash of a smile. There was no hesitation or uncertainty in his voice or body language. "Maybe you could explain what we can do to help with the search. Perhaps with incoming tips and setting up search grids. We could co-ordinate the search from here if you can provide a way to keep in contact."

She nodded, never taking her eyes from his. The others in the room slowly relaxed in their chairs, Tony knew he would be getting an earful from everyone later. And he knew he totally deserved every minute plus more.

Loki became aware he was alive again. He was utterly confused, he tried to find his pain and couldn't. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw as shadows danced above him, black against the orange of an open flame. His eyes closed and he struggled to open them again, something wasn't right but it skittered around the edges of his mind and he couldn't grasp what it was. 

He tried to move and found he could, he wasn't restrained. He felt that he was laying on his back because he knew he was looking up at the roof of the same cavern Thanos had brought him to. Strangely he felt movement press him down, sinking him into softness and he turned his head to see that he was laying on a comfortable mattress on a huge bed. In his vision he saw beautiful, white pillows piled high. His body shuddered, his eyes involuntarily closed but he forced them open in time to see the face of a nightmare come into view over his chest. His arms flailed as he struggled to sit up with a soundless gasp.

Bald with blackened skin, a nearly skeletal face with empty sockets for eyes, the creature pushed a long, pink tongue from between crusted lips. It loomed forward over his chest, looking down at him and to his absolute horror he now understood what his mind had refused to. The creature was straddling him. Riding him. Having sex with him. And his body was reacting without his mind having any control.

From the sides more of the beasts came, crawling towards him, reaching for him. The bodies could have once been a vaguely female form but were now corrupted by filth, disease and covered in running open sores. They grasped his hands, his arms while licking at his body. He realized he was naked, the only item still on him were the black wires around his arms and throat. He reached for his magic, desperately hopeful that the wire would once more choke him to unconsciousness and he wouldn't be aware of his rape.

A familiar chuckle came from the dark. "I don't think so, that would be ungrateful for this pleasant change, wouldn't it, little god?"

Loki felt the tongues and lips of the creatures sucking and licking on his face and body. He struggled to fight them off, pushing at them with increasingly desperate hands. When he involuntarily gasped as a deep shudder of pleasure ripped through him, one of them was able to push their tongue into his mouth. 

His body continued to betray him, even as he felt their nails begin to rake his skin, drawing blood and then the first painful bite on his shoulder. The second was on his side. His pleasure poured through him while he felt the pain. Then slowly he felt them do more than bite and scratch, they began to rip. To claw. To consume. To feast.

As he was eaten alive he heard Thanos laugh and whisper, "you are nothing compared to me."

Lexie walked through Central Park and everyone seemed to be out, collecting the last rays of the weak sunshine. She wore sweat pants with a lose long sleeved t shirt, and tennis shoes, a light jacket tied around her waist. She wore her brown hair in a single braid down her back with a blue ribbon in the bottom half that ended in a bow. She ignored everyone around her with her ear buds in, her choice was crashing classical music. She walked with purpose, glancing at her phone as the timer counted down to the last ten minutes of this hour walk. 

By the time her phone reached zero she had found a semi secluded rock to perch on and raise her face to the sun. She had just pulled her ear buds out to just listen to the sounds around her when her phone rang. "Hello, Tony."

"What are you up to?"

"Hanging out with evil geniuses in hidden lairs. You?"

"Same. Except I call it my lab."

"You checking up on me?"

"Nope."

"Hmmm, so what can I do for you at this exact moment?"

"Nothing. Just wondering what's for dinner. You're usually back by now."

"Dinner is chili and I'm in the park. Walking."

"Walking?"

"Yes, Tony. You know, exercise."

"You know you can use the gym, you don't have to go in the park. There's a lot of weirdos in the park. I know, I've seen Steve jogging there."

"Bye Tony." Lexie hung up with a faint smile and a shake of her head. Goofball. Taking a deep breath and standing she turned when she heard a sound behind her, animals running through the underbrush. There was the unmistakable sound of cats fighting and the bushes shook.

"Hey! Knock it off." She hollered and stomped in that direction, hoping to scare them away from each other. More yowling, hissing and the sound of leaves scattering said her ploy hadn't worked so she pushed her phone in a pocket and moved past the first barrier of bushes. Walking further on she saw a blur of black motion as a cat ran off, disappearing through a low, dense bush.

About to turn away Lexie's eye was caught by a slight movement in the dead leaves by some undergrowth near a tree and she slowly moved forward. Despite staring intensely she almost missed what was laying there until it moved again, a cat the color of the dead leaves and dirt.

"Hey there little kitty," she said softly, she could tell it was young, it didn't look like the size of the full grown cats she knew. It hissed at her and tried to get up but only pushed itself a few inches before collapsing back on the ground, mouth open, panting despite the coolness in the shade.

Lexie saw the blood on its dirty face, twigs and leaf litter clung to its body so she figured it must have other bleeding injuries on its body. It again struggled to stand but couldn't get its back legs to bear its weight, a pitiful yowl touching Lexie's heart. Kneeling down she slowly duck walked forward till she was within several feet of the struggling cat and carefully started untying her jacket, "Okay kitty. Its gonna be okay, We'll get you all fixed up, okay?" She slowly reached out and dropped the jacket over the top of the cat, it franticly moved around under it, trying to get free. After a moment it calmed and she knelt down beside it.

"Okay, lets decide what we're going to do with you." Lexie pulled out her phone, looking for the nearest emergency vet. She could take the cat to Bruce but he wasn't a medical doctor much less a vet. Besides, if the cat had to be put down it would be too sad of a burden to put on him. Besides, taking the cat to Stark Tower meant Tony would know. Once she found a vet surprisingly close she moved over the cat and gently tucked the jacket under it then picked it up. Her grip instantly tightened as the cat tried to escape, thankfully the jacket kept it contained though a few of its claws made it through to her skin. "Ow! Come on, cat! I'm trying to help here."

Making her way out of the bushes and through the park she came across a homeless guy who gave her a towel to add to her jacket which helped keep the claws from scratching her more and a hot dog vender who asked what she had. He gave her a box to put the cat in which solved all her other problems. Walking was much easier and she made good time to the vets office.

Once inside she explained what she had to the vet technician behind the counter who looked troubled. "So you want to just surrender it for euthanasia?"

"What? No, I want it treated." Lexie shook her head, her eyes looked at the tech in horror.

"But its not your cat, right? Its a feral cat you found in the park?"

"Yeah but it still deserves to be treated, not killed just because it doesn't belong to anyone."

The tech gave a sad smile, "Oh I agree. Its just that we have a fund to put sick animals down but not one to treat them. It can get expensive. And if its feral, well," she shrugged, "it'll end up at the shelter and they'll just put it down anyway."

"Why would they do that?"

"There's plenty of tame cats that don't get adopted, no one wants to bring a feral cat home."

Lexie pulled out her phone and after a couple taps brought up her credit card, "Take your deposit or whatever you need. I don't care what it costs me."

A massive wooden post had been pounded into the ground, it was to this that Loki had been impaled upon. A savage, thick, black arrow had been sent through his abdomen and into the post, it was the only thing keeping him from collapsing to the ground.

He couldn't bend forward or in any direction. He had actually been struck while falling so his long legs couldn't even hold him up, they had to bend at the knees. He held himself upright with his arms pushing on the arrow but he had been doing that for what seemed like days and his muscles violently shuddered and spasmed, he couldn't do it for much longer.

He turned his head and watched as Thanos came around from behind him with a large goblet in his hand, steam rising from the contents. The Titan studied Loki with the interest of someone seeing an interesting new insect. Finally he sat on a large throne, "I hope you've come to understand that my pleasure in your pain in no way matches my disappointment in your failure." He looked down at the contents of the goblet and gently swirled them around. "You told me you could succeed. You gave me your promise. You swore to me."

Loki sneered as he groaned out, "Under torture. You kept me a prisoner. I just wanted to make it stop. I would have said anything."

Thanos nodded, he sounded almost sympathetic. "I understand. I do." He stood and walked to stand next to Loki who tried and failed to move away from him. The Titan reached out and grabbed Loki by the jaw and with his huge fingers pushed his jaws apart, snapping the bones. "But I want you to know the pain of a promise not kept. An oath unfulfilled. A lie." He looked into Loki's eyes. "Silver tongue." He raised the goblet and poured the boiling acid into Loki's upturned mouth, making sure it flowed down his throat into his stomach.

It burned, its very heat searing his Jotun body but the acid overwhelmed that in an instant. It made no difference though, the ability to scream, to make any noise was burned away. His body tried to reject it, to send the poison back out but it simply pushed it into new cavities; nose, eyes, intestines. Loki's body flailed, his mind unable to comprehend anything at all. There was barely any brain functioning as he twisted and ended up face down in the dirt, literally ripping his body from the arrow. As his intestines spilled about him, the faintest green glow appeared in his palms but Thanos had already turned and walked away. The black wires slowly contracted.

One of the guest floors in Stark Towers had been gutted and turned into the headquarters for the search for Loki. There were computer displays that seemed to fill the large room that showed various sections of the galaxy. In the darkened room the colorful displays still gave off enough light to see by.

Bruce was dressed in black sweat pants and a green t shirt when he walked through the dim hall up to the inner windows and looked into the room while putting on his glasses. His hair was tousled, it was four-thirty in the morning and J.A.R.V.I.S. had woken him only moments earlier. He was able to see Tony's silhouette against the wall of windows even through the displays. The lights of the city helped outline him.

"How long has he been like this?" While his voice was quiet there was a thread of strength in it.

"Since after dinner, sir. I had to wait for emergency protocols to go into effect before I could notify you."

"Emergency protocols?"

"The minimum amount of time I'm required to wait for Mr. Stark to be in this condition before I'm allowed to contact you."

"And if I wasn't here?"

"I have a list of contacts sir. You're at the top."

"What about Pepper?"

"She's at the bottom, sir."

Bruce pushed the door open and slowly walked in, Tony had been in a foul mood lately and everyone had been at the brunt of his razor tongue. He could hear Tony talking low as if he were having a quiet conversation but the sound was too repetitive. When he got closer he saw Tony had a full glass of alcohol in one hand with the other hand pushed flat against the glass. He was staring out. Bruce glanced out the window but saw nothing special, nothing different than the usual city lights. 

Closer now, he could make out the words, "Can't do it, can't do it, can't do it, can't do it." Tony kept repeating these words in a slow, toneless voice. Bruce leaned closer. Tony dropped the glass and it hit the floor, shattering and sending the smell of spirits and pieces of glass out into the room.

Bruce barely kept himself from jumping back, "Jesus, Tony-"

Tony put his now free hand flat on the window and dropped his head against the glass, staring down. "I can't do it any more, Bruce. I've been trying. I really have. No one can say I haven't been trying."

"Do what? What can't you do any more?" Bruce kept his voice calm and low.

"Be here. I can't." He shook his head, slowly blinked.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to. Pepper's on the west coast, why don't you go visit her? We can hold down the fort. Take some time and go visit her." Bruce put his hand on Tony's shoulder. "A vacation."

Tony put his arms up, locking his fingers behind his neck while resting his elbows on the glass. He was quiet and Bruce could see the light from the arc reactor hitting the window, giving off the familiar blue white glow. He finally breathed out the words, "I don't want to be here, Bruce."

"You know you can go anywhere, buddy. Where do you want to be?" He spoke soothingly.

A whispered word, "nowhere."

Bruce stared at his friend for a very long second. Then he acknowledged that he wasn't the right one to for this moment in time. "J.A.R.V.I.S., is Rhodey still in D.C.?"

"Yes, Dr. Banner. Shall I advise him of the situation?"

"Please." Bruce put his back against the glass while turning his head, never taking his eyes from his friend.

Twenty minutes later there was a quiet thud as Rhodey landed on the party deck in his War Machine suit, a few minutes later he carefully came into the room wearing a grey t shirt and grey sweat pants. As he came closer his eyes looked down taking in the shattered glass and alcohol on the floor then Tony's position which didn't change. 

Bruce stepped away from the window and Rhodey took his place. "Hey Tony, talk to me." His voice was soft, as though he'd done this before.

At first Tony didn't react, then he slowly turned his head and his eyes locked on to Rhodey's. They were fierce with blazing anger. He whispered as though trying not to scream in rage, "I. Can't. Fucking. Do. This. Any. More." He turned and looked back out the window. His hands fisted so tight they shook.

Rhodey nodded, "okay. Tell me what's going on in that mind of yours."

Tony closed his eyes tightly then banged his head against the glass. Hard. He did it again. Bruce moved closer to stop him but Rhodey raised his arm to block him. Tony once more pulled his arms up and wrapped them around his head, elbows resting on the window. "Out there. I keep seeing it. Over and over." He opened his eyes and looked out the window. "Every time I look it's right there. In my face. Those monsters right outside this window. This cities rebuilding but its still here. Hell, its right here in this building. And now we're looking for the bastard that did it. To bring him here. To earth." He flung a hand over his shoulder towards the room full of equipment used in their search for Loki. He hit his head again. "I can't stay here. I can't, I can't Rhodey. I just can't do it." 

He turned to put his back against the window, shoving the palms of his hands into his eyes and started to slide down but both Rhodey and Bruce caught him under the arms and held him up. They sat him in a chair at the closest desk and he dropped his head to his hands. Rhodey grabbed another chair and pulled it close to him.

"When its not in front of me its over me. Like a weight on top of me. I keep seeing that damn portal opening up. Opening from my roof. Mine! Did you know I can't even go up there. I've tried. I can't breathe. I can't go on my own damn roof. Every time I look up I expect to see it. Monsters and magic coming down right above me." Tony's breathing became shallow and ragged, he put a hand to his chest, pressing hard. 

Rhodey leaned closer to Tony and spoke quietly but firmly, "You're gonna be all right, Tony. You're gonna get through this. You're stronger than you think and you've got us."

Tony shook his head, his voice any anguished cry, "You don't understand! I was out there. By myself. Everything fading out. Then I, saw them, those creatures. So many of them. Massive ships. Ships like we could never imagine. Now we're out there poking around trying to find Loki. And he's right there with them. What's to say they don't follow him right back to earth?"

"I think you shoving a nuke up their ass might have discouraged them from messing with earth for awhile."

"When that nuke hit them I thought it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw." He was gasping now and Rhodey reached out and grabbed him around the neck, Tony hung on to Rhodey's arm and rested his head against his shoulder. "I thought I was gonna die with that being the last thing I ever saw." He sucked in a breath, raised his head. His eyes caught on Bruce and he gave him a faint smile, "The next thing I saw was the Big Green."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Turns out he can be pretty beautiful." Tony tried to laugh but it turned into more of a choked sob and his head fell back on Rhody's shoulder.

Bruce caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Steve and Sam standing in the hallway looking in at them, arms folded. He moved silently to the door, slipping outside. 

"We heard Rhodey land." Steve looked concerned. Sam just looked confused.

"Yeah, it's all good. Everything's okay" 

Steve stared hard into Bruce's eyes for a very long moment. His eyes shifted to look at Rhodey and Tony then back to Bruce before he nodded and wordlessly walked away. Sam hesitated then after a quick look back towards the two men inside, he followed.

Bruce waited for both men to enter the elevator and the doors to close before he took the back stairs down to the medical floor. He didn't usually come in here but J.A.R.V.I.S. opened the secured door for him and Bruce went over to the cabinet of medical drugs. He entered his code and carefully searched the bottles then grabbed one along with a packaged needle and headed back upstairs.

When he got to the lab he was surprised to see Tony pacing while Rhodey was keeping an eye on him with his hands slightly outstretched. Bruce couldn't tell if it was to catch Tony if he fell, to fight him or to grab him before he did something stupid.

Tony was talking a mile a minute, his hands making wild gestures, his eyes wide enough that even in the dimness the whites were clearly visible. He was talking excitedly, "so its all mine now hey Brucie it needs to be totally renovated but I already started on that for another project but now that I'm thinking about it I think this is a much better idea like an Avenger's complex and there's a lake though I'm not sure how much Pepper will like the idea but she's not here that often besides its not like she cant just fly right back here its not that far hell its a beautiful drive too." Finally even Tony Stark had to draw a breath.

"Sounds like a plan, Tony." Rhodey nodded. "You know what would be another plan? Another plan would be to get some sleep and tackle all this in the morning." He reached out and took Tony's arm but Tony pulled away.

"No, I think I should start making phone calls right now, make haste while the breads rising, you know how that is."

"Yeah, yeah, you know where the bread rises the best? In your bedroom. In your bed. Yep."

Bruce looked at Rhodey in frowning confusion.

Rhodey shrugged and rolled his eyes while pointing at Tony, motioning Bruce to grab him. Both men took an arm and headed for the door. "Come on, Tone. You'll feel much better in a couple days when you wake up." They pushed, pulled and herded Tony to the elevator and to his floor. The whole way Tony was telling them about his idea of an Avengers complex in upstate New York at an old warehouse his dad had.

They got him into his bedroom where Bruce pulled the needle from the packaging and inserted it into the bottle. Rhodey watched and grinned, "You're my hero, man."

Tony nodded, "Yeah, I'm mine too. Makes it pretty easy for autographs and selfies." Tony grinned and turned to look at Bruce, his eyes got wide. "What's that for?" He tried to take a step back and bumped into Rhodey.

"Just to help you get to sleep, Tony. You're a mess, you've gotta sleep." Bruce came towards him, holding the needle up.

Tony held up a hand while trying his trademark grin, "now Bruce, I know I've been an ass but I'll go to sleep. I will. I promise. I will." He sounded like a desperate child trying to negotiate with a parent.

"Tony. Please." Bruce's voice quiet. His concern was evident. He was close to begging. "Trust me?"

Tony stared at Bruce, till all the humor on his face had gone. He turned his head to look to at Rhodey who nodded. Tony seemed to be thinking then abruptly made his decision. "Fine. Do I at least get a kiss first?" He unbuttoned his jeans, dropped them and his boxers to the floor then turned around.

"Jesus Tony. I just need a hip." Bruce slipped the needle in and pushed down on the plunger.

"All or nothing, baby. Never say I can't drop my pants on command." Tony swayed, "damn, that was kinda fast."

They grabbed him under the arms and lowered him down to the bed, face down, head over the side. Rhodey pulled his shoes and pants off and pulled a blanket over Tony's bare ass then looked up, "J.A.R.V.I.S, set up light, motion and sound dampeners. No one disturbs him." 

"Yes sir. And thank you both."

Both men turned and quietly walked from their friends apartment, deeply worried about him but unsure what exactly he needed.

Loki was once more tied to the wooden post. Naked, his chain went from a loop at the top of the post to his wrists. He had been forced to his knees, his ankles secured to the post then pulled off the ground. Now he hung by the cuffs which were cutting into his wrists, swinging and twisting. The only relief was when he was able to get himself back enough to rest on his feet.

This wasn't the only suffering he was enduring. At the moment the children of some of the higher serving of Thanos' soldiers were slicing open inches long gashes on his body. They were using dull, filthy blades that made more of a hacking than cutting wound but it certainly opened him to the bone in places. While several did this others were reaching into a bucket and pulling out small, bright green grubs that wriggled and opened their maws, showing jagged teeth. The children would then stuff several deep in the the open wounds, poking with little fingers that seemed to be perfectly made to get the grubs deep into Loki's flesh. And finally another child came behind with thick string intertwined with thin wire on a sharp hook. That child made clumsy stitches, closing the incisions with no skill or pattern. During all of this they happily chittered in a language Loki couldn't understand, this far from home it seemed even his Allspeak failed him.

When the grubs ran out the children got bored and poked Loki with the dull blades until more blood ran freely down him from dozens of small punctures. Through it all he did not scream. He gasped, groaned and grunted and he twisted to escape but he would not scream. His head bowed, hair hanging over his face he refused to even look at these perverse little creatures.

However he was very aware of the blue light appearing from behind him that meant a portal had opened. That could only mean one thing. Thanos had arrived. 

Thanos walked forward, Ebony Maw following a respectful distance behind. The children didn't run to hide in fear the Titan. Instead they ran to him, grasping his hands and calling him to come and see their work. The Titan knelt on one knee on the dirt floor in front of Loki, his arms around them as each child proudly pointed to an example of their work. He patted their heads and backs, a faint smile on his face.

He spoke with a voice soft and gentle, "you have all done such good work, my little ones. I know you'll do great things in my service." He stood, "and I know that none of you will fail me as this one has because you now know the price of failure. Go, back through the portal, I have rewards for you on the ship." With excited chirps the children all ran into the portal and a moment later the light disappeared.

Thanos looked down at Loki. He turned his head, he studied him, noting the bleeding cuts, the punctures. Loki slowly spun, his hands clenching as he desperately tried to alleviate even the tiniest bit of strain on his arms and shoulders. Without warning Thanos kicked Loki in the face. 

Loki's body flew back and upwards, slamming into the wooden pole, his head cracking against it. A huge split opened in his scalp, blood poured down his neck, face and shoulders, his torso, around his waist and down his thighs to drip from his knees. His skull crushed in the back, he was unconscious, not dead.

Thanos sat down. He gave a careless hand wave towards Loki, and Ebony Maw moved fluidly forward. He came within feet of Loki and motioned with a finger. Loki moaned and woke. He raised his head, the blood flowing down his chin dripped off in great drops. He couldn't focus his right eye, it rolled back into his head but his left stared at Thanos blankly for a moment before his head dropped again. The blood still flowed.

"How have you enjoyed the sweet taste of pain? And the flavor of the exquisite release of death?" The Titan's voice was low, seductive in the flickering light of the fires. He tilted his head as though expecting a reply. Looking down at the dirt floor for a moment he spoke again, "you were told what to expect if you failed, little god." Thanos stood. "The time for the pleasure of death has ended. Now your punishment begins."

Thanos motioned once more to Ebony Maw and that creature used magic to raise the dropped hook and thread from the dirt floor. Loki's head was thrust back and his eyes opened to watch as the hook came forward, he tried to turn his face but it was as though he was held by unseen hands. His jaw held firmly the hook began its work, piercing his lips, top to the bottom, slowly sewing his mouth shut. He clenched his eyes closed against the pain and growled deep in his throat but he couldn't think clearly. Something was wrong but he didn't know what. 

Finally the work was done, his mouth firmly shut and he was forced to try to draw enough breath through his nose. The hook remained floating in his vision, his head still held tight. Once more it began to move, drawing closer and looming larger till it filled his vision. His one working eye jerked to look at Thanos, the Titan stood in front of him with arms crossed, looking down at him with curious interest and a faint smile. When the hook pierced first his lower eye lid Loki's body tensed and violently shook but his head was rock steady no matter how much his body bucked and flailed. When the hook pierced his upper lid Loki hoped he would shatter, disappear. As both his eyes were sown shut he learned he would never be that fortunate.

Tony woke slowly, stretching and taking in a deep breath. After he realized that felt pretty good he took another one and rolled over, stretching as far as his arms and legs could go. And that's when he discovered something odd and lifted his covers.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., please tell me someone took advantage of me and that's why I have no pants on."

"I'm sorry sir. No one took advantage of you."

Tony scratched his head. "Damn. Well, play my morning music and lets get this party started." He crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom, pulling his t shirt off and tossing it on the floor.

"Sir, its three-thirty in the morning."

Tony got into the shower and turned on the cold water. He yelled out, "Not my fault! Morning music, J.A.R.V.I.S.!" Loud, thunderous music with guitar and drum pounded the last of the sleep right out of him.

Tony was in the Search HQ, drinking a cup of coffee while reading displays. He frowned at new information, tapping digital displays then sliding the information from one heads up display to another. He found that there was an unusual amount of new information and frowned.

"Uh, J.A.R.V.I.S., what day is today?"

"Thursday, sir."

Tony's eyes popped open wide. "Uh, what happened to Tuesday and Wednesday?"

"I believe you slept through them, sir."

"Huh. Did I wake up at all?"

"Occasionally sir but you retired back to bed."

"Wow. That bad, huh?"

"Yes sir."

Tony walked around the room, picking up a pencil and tapping it against his palm as he absently moved over to the wall of windows. He stopped and looked out with a frown, his eyes going downward but then were drawn up into the sky. The sun was starting to rise, the sky had a hint of a purple bruise at the horizon. "Do I need to buy any one flowers? A new car?"

"No sir. I don't think that will be necessary. This time. Although fruit and choclate baskets always seem to be appreciated."

Tony faintly smiled. "Protocols worked?"

"Yes sir, though I wish you would lessen the time prior to allowing me to act. Or to allow me to act on my own."

Tony glanced downwards at the buildings but his eyes again slipped over them and he turned away from the windows and forced himself to sound happy, "Nope. Follow all protocols as set. You already order my toilet paper, J.A.R.V.I.S., that's more than enough control over my life for a guy with no hands."

"Yes sir."

Lexie walked into the vet's office and smiled at the vet tech behind the counter. "Hey Lynette."

"Hello, Lexie. Big day, huh?"

"Yep." Lexie took a seat in the waiting room till Dr. Frankel was available. She looked through magazines, gave a dog scratches and watched as something in a pillowcase moved around slowly.

Finally she got called by a tech into the back area rather than an examining room. Her heart was tugged at by all the different animals in the wall of steel cages. Dogs and cats mainly, some sleeping, others at their cage doors but most just curled up with eyes watching her. Lexie saw Dr. Frankel and her eyes brightened as the two women shook hands.

"You sure you're ready to take this guy home?" They both turned to look into an eye level cage where a towel hid a lump that occasionally moved. "He's not going to be easy to tame, he's truly feral."

Lexie nodded, "I know, But if I don't take him, we both know what's going to happen to him." She stared into the cage.

Dr. Frankel nodded, "I know what you mean, but you have to realize that this happens every day. And there are so many other perfectly loveable cats out there that never get a chance to go home. We actually have several here that are looking for a home." Dr. Frankel studied the young woman still staring into the cage.

Shaking her head Lexie smiled sadly, "No, this guy feels like my responsibility. I brought him in, I can't just leave him to fate, which wouldn't be very nice to him. So," she shrugged, "he gets to come home with me."

Dr. Frankel broke into huge smile and gave a chuckle, "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that." Lexie looked at her in surprise. "I call that my adoption speel that I have to give so that everyone adopting kinda knows what they're getting into. Especially with a cat like this guy. You know his injuries, he got pretty torn up. The fight you rescued him from probably wasn't his first going by his injuries."

Lexie nodded, "I know, but I'm prepared. I've been reading up."

"All right then. Why don't you head out front and Lynette will get you settled up and provide you with aftercare instructions. We'll get this guy sedated and in a transportation box."

Back out front Lexie was paying the bill, the truth was that it had been expensive for the cats care. But it covered not only his injuries but his first shots, neutering, take home medicine plus follow up care. On impulse Lexie added a donation to the credit card bill for the next stray that came in. The paperwork given to her explained wound care and what to expect.

Finally Dr. Frankel brought out a rectangular box with handles in the folded top and handed it over to Lexie. "Here you go, hon. I hope everything works out for you two."

Lexie smiled, "I'm sure it will."

By the time the elevator opened in Stark Towers she thought she was going to be able to make it through the dinning area without anyone seeing her. She should have known better.

From behind her, "What's in the box?"

Lexie slowed but didn't come to a stop at Tony's question, "Nothing."

"Nothing, huh? Odd name for a cat."

Lexie stopped but didn't turn around. She heard Tony heavily sigh from behind her, "How come you didn't say anything?"

Lexie turned to face him and she looked guilty, "I'm sorry, Tony. I should have asked. You've just been, really, busy lately and I just, let time get away from me."

Tony gave a wry grin, "Busy? Is that code for being an ass? Because I hear I've been one."

Lexie shrugged with her own grin, "Well, that too. But I should have asked, it's your place."

Tony's grin dropped off his face. He shook his head, "No, no, not at all. This is your home just as much as mine." He came forward to stare down into her face intently, "probably more since this is the only place you've got." Lexie looked down at the box in her arms and he ran a hand over his face, "okay, not my smoothest line but you know what I mean. And you don't have to worry about the cat, he's your cat, he's totally welcome. Can I see him?"

"I think so, his sedative shouldn't have worn off yet." Lexie set the box down and carefully cracked open the folded top a few inches.

"Sedative? Is he a mountain lion?" Tony peeked into the box, then slightly jerked back with a startled expression, "what the hell is that?" He burst out and Lexie closed the box quickly and scowled at him.

"He was in a fight, Tony. He got a little banged up." 

She moved to pick the box up but Tony grabbed it first while he muttered, "fight with a garbage disposal."

"I heard that."

"No wonder he cost so much."

Lexie stopped in her tracks to glare at his back but Tony kept on walking, "Come on and open the door so I can put this crate down before I throw my back out." She followed him but her glare lasted all the way to her door which she opened so Tony could walk in ahead of her. He sat the cat box on her table then turned to look at Lexie with a smirk while leaning back on the table.

Lexie stood in the doorway with her mouth open as her eyes went over her room. On her bed were piles of cat supplies, cat beds, bags of food and treats. On the floor were boxes of kitty litter, trays, scoops and bags full of what could only be more cat supplies. And in one corner was a seven foot Iron Man cat tree covered in red and gold carpet. Legs apart and arms pointing out made perfect climbing and scratching posts. His chest was a cat tunnel and where his arc reactor should be was a hole the right size for a cat to pop his head out of. Lexie walked in, still in obvious shock, drawn over to the Iron Man cat post and touched it. 

"Yeah, I gotta say its just as fondle worthy as the real thing."

She turned and gave him a tight hug. "Nothing compares to the real thing." She leaned back and looked at him, she was serious, "nothing is worth as much as you." She pulled him into another tight hug.

Tony looked uncomfortable then patted her back. "Okay, okay. Enough of that, you women seem to keep conveniently forgetting I'm spoken for. Although adopting a cat is one of the more extreme ways a woman has gotten me into her room."

Lexie shook her head and lightly slapped him on the arm. "So are you going to help me go through all this?"

"Who? Me?" Tony held up his hands as he moved to her door, "I picked it out, that was horrible enough. Enjoy." He ducked out the door with a genuine smile on his face.

Thanos used a blade to poke at the nearly skeletal form hanging before him. The grubs had more than doubled in size and their bodies could be seen moving through the nearly translucent skin while black filth oozed from the puckered wounds. Using the blade he spun Loki's body till he could see the back of his head, the split was healing long the edges but still revealed the crushed skull fragments. Using the hilt of the blade Thanos pushed at the soft spot where the skull was splintered, making a grating noise as bone caught against bone.

There wasn't a reaction from Loki though his breath rattled in his chest as he slowly pulled in each agonizing breath.

The blue light of a portal opening caught Thanos' attention and he looked up to watch Ebony Maw glide forward with a respectful bow. "My Lord Thanos, a stone has been located."

Thanos glanced down at Loki then walked past him into the portal, Ebony Maw following. 

The light vanished and the cavern was left in the flickering light of the flames of several fires. There was no conscious movement from the only living being in the cavern. No faint green light of magic. Nothing. After time the fuel began to be consumed and the lights started to flicker, till finally the last flame died and the cavern fell into pitch darkness.

In upstate New York Tony flew over the New Avengers Complex in a company helicopter while studying pages of plans. He felt nearly giddy, the way he did when a project was finally coming together in his workshop and he could see that there were only a few more pieces till completion. He glanced over at Pepper with a huge grin, who smiled back at him before leaning over and giving him a kiss.

"Not bad, Stark." Her voice over the headset was affectionate but teasing.

"Why thank you, Ms. Potts. You'll notice I provided you lakefront property. We can go sailing." He wiggled his eyebrows, "and skinny dipping."

She smiled, "you do remember I get seasick, right Tony?"

Obviously from his expression he didn't remember, "of course I do, that's why you're going to build your very own lakefront cabin so we can go skinny dipping from our very own dock."

She nodded and leaned forward to kiss him again, smiling against his lips.

Tony heard his phone ringing but chose to ignore it and it finally stopped. A few moments later J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice broke in over their head sets, "I'm sorry to disturb you sir-"

"Then don't J. Just take a message and pretend I'll call them back."

"I'm sorry sir. It's Director Fury. He says he's made contact."

"Contact?" Tony kissed Pepper again, " With who?"

"Someone who claims to know about Thanos."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N  
> 1\. I dislike this chapter intensely, it feels forced and awkward to me. No matter how many times I edit it, it doesn't get any better. So I apologize up front if you agree with me.  
> 2\. I have tried and failed to write Peter Quill, I struggle with him for some reason. Which is why you will notice that even though he is a major character, he has little presence in the Guardian scenes. I thought that was better than writing him badly.
> 
> .

On a helicarrier thirty-seven thousand feet above the earth the Avenger team excepting Thor stood on the bridge and watched out the large windows as a Ravenger M-ship landed on the flight deck. At this height there were less eyes in the sky that might notice an actual space ship from outer space coming into earth's atmosphere. Flight crew in breathing masks and safety tethers popped out of hatches on the deck to secure the landing gear on the Milano.

"Take us to cruising altitude." Maria Hill barked out and the ship began dropping down.

Fury came forward to stand between Tony and Steve, clasping his hands behind his back he asked, "You ready for this?"

Tony glanced at him, "aliens that don't want to take over earth or kill me?" He gave a careless wave of his hand, "easy." He turned and headed back to where the rest of the group had moved near a large conference table.

Steve reached in his pocket and took out a twenty dollar bill. "This is getting expensive," he muttered as he followed Tony. Fury just faintly smirked as he slid it into his own pocket.

Once the helicarrier reached its plotted altitude the main door was opened and Fury, Tony and Steve stepped out onto the deck. A few feet from the door stood Carol, hands casually clasped behind her back she glanced at them as they came to stand by her.

Steve wore his suit though not his mask. His shield hung on his back. Tony was in his Iron Man suit, he too wasn't wearing his helmet. The idea was to impress but not conceal. Hopefully they were meeting allies.

The ramp to the ship opened and at first there was nothing. Then a man that could have been any guy from earth came walking down, dressed in red leather pants and long red coat and what looked like a t shirt. 

Following this was a female. A female with green skin dressed in black skintight leather.

Tony's eyes got huge as he watched her sway down the ramp and his mouth dropped slightly. Fury didn't even glance at him, "Stark, should I call Ms. Potts?"

Tony's mouth snapped shut.

The next two out had even Fury blinking. Steve shrugged and said casually, his ability to be surprised had reached its limit, "Is that a tree with a racoon on its, uh, shoulder?"

Fury reached in his pocket and handed Steve the twenty dollars from earlier.

Both groups were walking towards each other and were within ten feet when their attention was directed back to the ramp where there was the sound of boots stomping. A huge shirtless, blue man covered in red designs came to the bottom and stretched while yawning wide, his mouth open wide. Once he was finished he slowly joined the rest of his group who was glaring at him.

He stared at them before asking, "what? I was napping."

Carol walked forward, "Peter Quill?"

The brown haired man turned to look at her, "Please, call me Star-Lord." He smirked a little.

"Carol. I'm the one who sent out the locate. We spoke."

Peter nodded, "Yeah, just to make this clear up front. Our price has been agreed on? No matter how much you get or what you do with the information, we want to get paid."

Steve scowled, "You're mercenaries?"

Peter looked at him hard, "Hey, we're business men." The green woman cleared her throat. Peter started again. "Business people. We've got a business to run, expenses."

Carol held out her hand, "Of course. You have my word. Now, lets take this inside and make introductions to everyone at the same time."

They entered the ship and the halls had been cleared though there were still a few higher ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. officers who were caught flat footed as a green skinned woman, a blue skinned man and a racoon riding on a tree that was ducking through every doorway passed them. They finally made their way to the largest conference room on the helicarrier where the rest of the Avengers were waiting. They had watched everything from security cameras but still, when every one came in their eyes widened.

Carol was waiting to start introducing everyone till everyone filed into the room while Tony went into a corner where he stepped out of his Iron Man suit to reveal he was in jeans and a t shirt. The large blue skinned man nodded his head as he came over to look Tony up and down. "Ah, this makes sense why I did not see a penis on your outer shell. It must be on your soft inner body."

Tony stepped back, a look of utter confusion and panic building on his face as he held up his hands, "Uh, Captain Space Man, you wanna get your guy?"

Peter called out, "Drax, what are you doing? Get over here."

"What? He has no penis. That is obvious." Drax shook his head and walked back over to Peter like a sulky child.

Clint couldn't help it, he snorted and laughed so hard he had to literally turn away and put his face into the wall. Nat didn't laugh but she was biting the inside of her cheek so hard she was sure she was going to taste blood pretty soon. Bruce was standing with a smile on his face, while looking down at the table top and rocking back on his heels, arms folded. Steve was hiding a smile behind his hand.

"Hey there, Smurf, lets make it clear that I have a perfectly good penis. I can get notarized statements if you need 'em. Its not like I can go around making anatomically correct suits." Tony was red faced and jerked a chair out to sit down.

Carol made introductions of the Avengers and Peter introduced his crew. The green skinned woman was Gomorra, the blue man was Drax, the racoon was Rocket and before Peter could say anything the tree had waved and said, "I am Groot." And Groot sat against the wall where sitting he was still nearly as tall as most of them standing.

The Avengers stared with various degrees of disbelief. Steve was sitting next to Fury, he reached into his pocket and held the twenty out and Fury slowly reached for it. As his fingers grasped it and slid it from Steve's fingers Rocket jumped off of Groot and landed on the table. "Okay, now that that's finally over can we please get to business and get off this backwards, backwater rock?" Fury had frozen and Steve slowly took the money back.

Peter glared at Rocket, "Hey, this is my backwards, backwater rock."

Rocket shrugged, "Yeah, and your point is?"

"You're from earth?" Tony asked in disbelief.

"Missouri."

"Yeah, that's kinda earth." Tony rolled his eyes. "How'd you end up in space?"

Rocket interrupted, "how bout we save exchanging life stories for another time, okay? Lets get this over with."

"What's your hurry, trash panda?" Tony asked with a frown.

Peter snickered and when Rocket looked at him he shrugged, "told you it was a real name."

"When you're talking about Thanos its best to either keep your mouth shut or talk fast." Rocket hopped down onto a chair and leaned back while remaining standing and crossing his arms. 

Steve spoke up, "Alright, lets see what information you've got."

On the bridge Maria Hill looked out onto the deck where it was starting to sprinkle then rain harder. She frowned as she walked closer to the large windows where she looked outside.

In the conference room Fury listened to his ear piece then caught Steve's eye for a second. "Excuse me. Something has come to my attention, nothing to worry about but I need to handle it myself." 

Nat and Clint exchanged glances but said nothing while Tony went back to speaking, "So after being off the grid for nearly a year Thanos just showed up again?"

Gomorra spoke, "He still needs the rest of the infinity stones. There was a rumor that one had been located and that's why he showed up again."

The door slammed open and Thor walked in. Dripping wet in his Asgardian clothes he glared at Peter and his crew who had all leapt to their feet as soon as the door opened. The Avengers were on their feet, as well as Carol who was standing between Thor and their visitors.

Thor ground out between clenched jaws, "you know where my brother is?"

Peter looked confused, "your brother? No, we're here with information on Thanos."

"He is with Thanos."

Fury rushed into the room, "Thor, you're not supposed to be here."

Thor turned to face Fury his anger blazing for everyone to see. "And that is-"

"Thor? You're Loki's brother."

Thor fell silent and even though no one else had been speaking the room seemed to get even quieter as the god turned and stared at the green skinned woman who had spoken. "Who are you?" His voice was dangerously low.

All eyes focused on her face as she seemed to be steadying herself. "I'm Gamora."

"And how do you know Loki?" His voice pushed out from a tight jaw.

Her chin came up. Thor's heart gave a painful thump in his chest. He felt in his deepest soul that he did not want her to answer his question. "I know him because I helped torture him."

For a second there was no absolutely movement due to the shock of her words.

"Gamora?" Peter asked, the question in his voice was obvious.

Then Thor moved towards her and suddenly everyone but Groot and Bruce were on their feet. Carol snapped her power on and the two groups had to turn away or be blinded. "Okay, we're here to get information. And this appears to be important so how about everyone agree to listen." She brought her light down, "Thor? You still want to find Loki, don't you?"

"Of course!" He spat out while staring daggers at Gamora who met his eyes with her own glare.

"Then you need to listen to what she has to say. Understood?"

He gave a curt nod and moved back to stand against the wall next to Steve, refusing to even look at Fury. Steve put a hand on his shoulder as Thor moved past but it was violently shrugged off. Steve looked at Tony, Nat and Clint. They were standing, tension clearly on their faces. Bruce was sitting but even he clearly was feeling the emotions in the room because he was staring down at the floor with his eyes focused on his tightly clasped hands. Steve spoke, "Lets all sit back down and start again." He waited a moment and when none of the Avengers moved he turned towards them and used a tone that was clearly an order, "sit down, Avengers."

Tony glanced at him, "Fine but only because I wanted to sit anyway."

Steve gave Tony a sharp glare and looked to Gamora, "please, ma'am. Sit down and explain. You have to understand our shock." Once everyone was seated again he went on. "We met Loki when he tried to take over our planet and brought an invading army to help him." 

Nat saw Gamora's micro reaction, the sudden harder pulse of a vein in her neck, the twitch of a nerve on her finger. She was still silent.

"During this time we learned he was Thor's brother. After he was defeated he was sent back to Asgard for punishment but a short time later we found out he escaped when he was freed by Thanos. It's been about a year and you're the first lead we've had to find him."

Gamorra closed her eyes for a moment then looked down at her fingers, turning her rings before shaking her head and looking up. First looking at Steve then finally at Thor. "Thanos didn't help him escape."

Thor pushed off the wall, his face thunderous, "he did! It was seen by one who can not lie. Thanos took Loki."

"I believe you. Thanos may have taken Loki but it wasn't to help him escape." She looked quickly at her fingers before meeting his eyes again. "It was to punish him."

Thor looked shocked. "Why?" He had lost all emotion other than questioning her.

"Because Loki failed him." Gamora licked her lips. "I need to start at the beginning." She turned to look at Peter, who nodded in encouragement. She stood, she needed to pace, this wasn't going to be easy.

Tony spoke up, "first, how did you get to be a torturer for Thanos?"

Gamora stopped pacing, her back to everyone. Rocket shrugged, "well that ones easy. Gamora's his daughter."

Drax and Peter burst out at the same time, "adopted!"

Rocket waved his paw dismissively and rolled his eyes as he muttered, "like that matters to the psychopath."

Gamora took a deep breath and turned, her face had become determined and the Avengers realized that they had seen this same kind of strength on Nat's face. Subconsciously they gave her the same respectful attention they would have given Nat.

"Thanos has one goal, to destroy half of all life in the universe to balance out resources." She met the shocked faces steadily but didn't give them time react before going on. "To do that he needs six infinity stones. You know of two of them. The space stone in the tesseract and the mind stone which is the stone in Loki's staff."

"Glow stick of death." Everyone ignored Tony.

"Until he gets them he invades planets and wipes out half of all life. That's what he did on my planet, where he kidnapped me, tortured me and raised me as his daughter. To believe the same as he did."

Tony shook his head, "Damn, does everyone from another planet have a dick for a dad?"

Drax spoke up, "Peter's father was a god who killed his mother. Then he tried to turn Peter into a battery so he could feed off him for a thousand years." Drax frowned. "But Peter is from earth. Also, his father was a planet, not a dick."

In the silence everyone stared from Drax to Peter. Even Bruce raised his head to stare. Rocket put his head in his paw and closed his eyes. Steve cleared his throat. "You were saying, ma'am?"

Gamora suddenly needed to sit. "In my heart I was never a believer but I could never let Thanos know that or I would have been dead. A body for my siblings to train on." She swallowed and Peter took her hand in his. "My father discovered that an infinity stone was on a far distant planet, one he was unfamiliar with. At the same time something was brought to us as a gift. A body found drifting from a wormhole." She looked to Thor. "Loki. He should have been dead. I don't know how he wasn't, he nearly was and this was just enough to raise Thanos' curiosity. He searched his mind and that's when he discovered that Loki knew of this planet where the tesseract was, earth."

Thor was staring hard at Gamora, nearly unblinking. "He fell into a wormhole after I broke the Bifrost." His voice was neutral though it was clear he was thinking back to that moment.

"Thanos offered him earth if Loki brought him the tesseract." Gamora watched as nearly every Avenger nodded before she spoke again. "He refused."

Even Fury looked like he couldn't be more stunned, his one good eye wide, his mouth dropped open. "Are you sure this is the same Loki we're talking about?" He asked incredulously.

Clint shook his head and stood abruptly, "That can't be right. We all fought him. We know, I know for a fact that all he wanted was to rule the earth. He used that scepter to take over my mind to force me to help him." Nat put her hand into Clint's and gave him her support. He sat back down.

"Loki was confused, angry, distraught about something but he was adamant that he wanted nothing to do with invading earth. That's where I came in. I was one of a handful who had the task of making him accept Thanos' offer."

"Making him?" Thor growled.

Gamora wasn't backing down. "Tortured into a state where he would do anything to make it stop. And we did. We twisted his memories, poisoned them and replaced them. Until finally he had no idea what was real and what was false. He would beg us to tell him what to believe. Just tell him and he would believe it. Ask it and he would do it. And he did. He did what he was told until he was trusted enough for Thanos to give him the Chitauri Scepter with the mind stone in it." Gamora turned to Clint, "you know it's power."

Clint jerked his head in a nod.

"It controlled him as much as it did you."

"No, he had free will. His eyes-"

"What color are Loki's eyes?"

Everyone but Thor and Steve said together, "Blue."

Nat added, "but not solid blue, not like Clint's were."

Gamora was looking at Thor who was looking into the distance as though he had been struck by lightening. "Loki's eyes. They're not blue. They're green. How did I not notice that at the time?" He looked at Gamora. "His eyes are green."

She nodded. "By the time I finished with him he thought Thanos' plan was his plan. He probably still does."

Thor pushed away from the wall without an expression on his face and walked out of the room. A few seconds later the lights flickered as electricity interfered with circuitry. 

Bruce was about to stand when Nat put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back as she stood instead. "You and electricity? Yeah, I don't think so." 

Tony had been listening with his head in one hand that was rubbing his temples and forehead. Now he looked up at Gamora. "Are you telling me that Loki was under mind control when he attacked earth? That he had no control over his actions?"

Gamora shook her head, "he had control over his actions. He could decide how to carry out the plan. He just had no choice in doing it."

"Except he failed." Bruce spoke matter of factly. "And Thanos, what, busted him out of prison to get revenge?"

"Revenge would be kind. Thanos is not kind."

Tony looked between Steve and Fury. Finally he asked, "Well? Does this change any thing?"

Steve took a deep breath and looked thoughtful. "It shouldn't. We agreed to help Thor get Loki back."

Fury shook his head, "No offense to you Ms. Gamora but that son of a bitch shot me. I'm not feeling too forgiving. So I say we get the man back here and ask our own questions."

In the hallway Nat had followed Thor who had sparks jumping from his fingers as he marched ahead. He needed to find something to destroy, to vent his anger on but there was nothing on board he could safely tear apart. He made his way to the interior flight deck, walking between the secured jet planes with his hands fisting tightly till he finally leaned back and roared out his pain and anger. Everything he had been holding back for over a year came out in a guttural cry of rage that drained him to his soul. He fell to his knees and dropped his head on the deck.

Nat understood his pain but this level of emotion made her extremely uncomfortable. She stood behind him, watching as Thor took in great gasping breaths. Finally she cleared her face of expression and walked over to him and knelt beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He didn't acknowledge her at first, but as she moved her hand to his back and rubbed small circles he slowly took control of his breathing and eventually sat up. He didn't bother wiping at his eyes, he had no shame at his tears.

"Loki never said he had been controlled?" Nat's voice was quiet but curious.

Thor stared ahead like a child who had cried himself to the point of exhaustion. He swallowed then tried several times to speak. "He, never said a word. He couldn't. The muzzle I put on him in New York was never removed except when he was in his cell."

Nat frowned. "What about at his trial? He had to have said something then."

Thor shook his head. "There was no trial. Odin made a declaration of guilt the day we returned. Loki was kept in the dungeon till he left." Thor turned his head slowly, "Asgard is not like earth, Lady Natasha." Thor looked down at his hands, strong and callused. "I could have removed it. He tried to get me to take it off. Begged me with his eyes." Thor looked back up to stare at nothing. "I refused. I told him that I was in no mood to listen to the God of Lies and Tricks." He closed his eyes.

Nat had put her hand on his shoulder and now she gave it a squeeze. "You'll get the chance to apologize when we find him. I'm sure he'll love that." She gave a slight smile. "And if you want to really make it up to him you can let him stab you a couple times."

Thor gave a choked laugh and suddenly turned and swept Nat up into a tight hug. She gave a surprised grunt but hugged him back.

"Hey you two, no fraternizing on board ship." Tony called out. "Besides, we worked out a plan and it's time to say good bye to Marvin and his space cadets."

Thor stood easily and held out a hand for Nat who accepted it and rose gracefully. They both followed Tony out.

The Avengers watched along with the bridge crew as the Milano rose from the deck and flew out of sight nearly instantly. The crew went back to work while the Avengers moved back to the conference table in the back. Boxes of chocolate snack cakes were piled on the table along with various random items like paddle ball games, crayons, and cans of energy drinks. 

Clint grabbed a paddle ball and started bouncing the ball off the paddle, sending the ball to its limit towards the ceiling. Nat opened a snack cake and took a bite then offered Clint a bite while looking at Steve expectantly. "So what did we miss?"

Steve was looking at the variety of cakes, trying to decide, "Tony? You made the deal."

Tony stood with arms crossed, looking thoughtful. "They agreed to dedicate all their resources to finding Loki or Thanos. They'll follow up any information we get."

"So what's on your mind? You're thinking." Nat raised an eyebrow while putting the last bite into Clint's mouth.

Tony forced a smile and lied, "Just thinking about how much stock to buy in snack cakes." He picked one up and tossed it to Steve. "Here, this one."

Steve caught it easily, then frowned and motioned to the rest, "They're all the same, just different shapes."

Tony's eyes widened then narrowed. "What? No! Everyone knows the shapes makes the flavors different." He turned to Clint and ground out, "All right Bouncing Betty, that's enough."

Clint never took his glare off Tony. Just flipped his wrist and instead of the ball bouncing to the ceiling it went on to hit the dead center of the arc reactor in Tony's chest. The ball came back and Clint caught it.

In the sudden silence Tony moved right into Clint's face and the two squared off. "You got a problem, Barton then you better speak up now."

"That murdering bastard doesn't deserve to be brought back to earth. And if some guy named Thanos wants to torture the life out of him then that's what he deserves." Clint stared right into Tony's eyes and what he saw made him smirk. "And you feel the same way, don't deny it, Stark. Your soul ain't so clean either."

Tony went after Clint but Nat was ready and slipped in between both men and shoved Tony back while sweeping his legs out from under him. Clint got shoved backwards into Bruce who had moved closer to the archer.  
Bruce's expression had hardened, he had reached his limit and now he used his surprising strength to wrap his arms around Clint.

"Enough! Enough!" He shouted while turning Clint away and shoving him towards the wall. Bruce clenched his fists, "Enough of this. We've already made our plans and nothing we've learned today changes them." He swallowed tightly and met everyone's eyes. They were watching him with various degrees of wariness and uncertainty. "I'm getting really tired of discussing this same point." He turned to glare at Clint. "We get Loki. Then we deal with the next problem." Clint wasn't happy but he gave a hard nod.

Tony slowly got to his feet, eyes on Bruce. "Okay, okay."

Through this entire time Fury had remained seated at the table. Only when Bruce got involved did he shift in his chair, sitting up straighter. He watched the doctor carefully but Bruce sat at the table and yanked open a box of snack cakes. He cradled the box in his arms, sat back and started eating his first cake.

Thor had also been watching his fellow Avengers while standing apart from them. Arms crossed he had listened, now he stepped forward next to Fury's chair and said, "You all have forgotten the most important piece of information Gamora provided. I hate to admit it, but it's even more important that Loki."

Every one stared at him with puzzled and confused expressions. "Okay, Point Break. Enlighten us."

"That Thanos is attempting to wipe out half of the universe."

Fury stood abruptly, startling them all. "Thank you! At least someone was paying attention in class."

The expressions should have been comical as the realization hit them that Thor was the only one who hadn't been distracted by Loki even though it was his brother they had all been talking about. 

Fury continued, "And we have very little intel on this Thanos so right now we need Loki. If he's with Thanos right now, then he has the most up to date information on what the plan is."

Steve spoke up, "we need to go back over all the information we gathered and check if we missed something. We need all of us rechecking everything."

Maria Hill had slowly moved closer to them, "Stark, if you'll forward your information we can catalog and organize it. Have a dozen analysts working on it."

Tony gave her a crooked smile, "Sorry Hill, but I don't share my intel with S.H.I.E.L.D., you guys share with me." He gave her a condescending smirk.

She raised her chin and an eyebrow, "We don't share with anyone, Stark. Certainly not you."

Tony rolled his eyes, "yeah, whatever. Maria." There was silence for a long moment then Tony clapped his hands a couple times, "All right boys and girl and god, fieldtrips over, we need to get back home. Dad's gotta build another floor at the compound dedicated to finding galaxy destroyers and crazy little brothers." He headed out the door, tapping Thor on the arm as he walked past.

Bruce got up, grabbed a couple snack cake boxes and followed Tony. Clint and Nat moved after him, they locked eyes with Fury as they walked past him. Unspoken words communicating between them.

Steve nodded to Fury, "Director." Glancing at Hill, "Ma'am." He followed the rest out.

Lexie looked around her room, it really did look like a hotel room now. Her clothes were gone, the bed had been stripped earlier in the day and the bathroom was empty. It was finally time for her to move to her apartment in the Avengers complex in upstate New York. She turned and walked from the room, leaving the door open behind her.

The rest of Stark Tower looked exactly the same, nothing that wasn't personal had been removed. The tower would be used for Stark Industries along with S.H.I.E.L.D. so it was available if someone had a need. On a table was a pet carrier covered with a small blanket with paw prints on it. She picked it up and headed for the elevator.

She arrived in the public lobby, where it was business as usual, and spotted Thor. He was wearing jeans and a black t shirt that despite its extra large size still seemed much too small. Walking over she grinned at him as she watched him take selfies with several very happy young women. Lexie stopped a short distance from Thor and waited, setting the pet carrier down at her feet. He didn't seem to mind that each one wanted to use their own phone for a photo instead of just sending one to each other. Lexie did notice that his smile seemed tired and his eyes didn't sparkle as much as normal.

After getting their photos several of the women gave Lexie a once over and arched their eyebrows with a slight sneer before going back to giggling over their phones. Lexie was aware of it but she ignored them, not a single emotion crossed her face. "Hey Thor, I hope I'm not the last one down?"

Thor turned and this time his smile was genuine. "Lady Allexandria." He reached out and took her hand and put a kiss on her knuckles before pulling her into a tight hug. "I've missed you. And no, doctor Banner still has to arrive."

Lexie ignored the look of shock and open mouths on the women's faces. "I've missed you too, but I know you have other duties that you have to take care of other than eating my cinnamon rolls."

Thor groaned with a hand on his stomach, "oh, that is rather cruel, my lady. Unless you have some in your box?" He looked hopefully at the pet carrier.

Lexie couldn't help herself, she snorted and let out a laugh that sounded too much like a giggle to her ears so she covered her mouth. "No, sorry. That's my cat."

"Oh, the Demon Spawn?"

Lexie's smile slid off her face slightly, "Demon Spawn?"

Thor looked slightly uncomfortable, "Is that not his name?"

"No, Tony calls him Demon Spawn, his name is Merlin."

"Merlin?" Thor's voice bounced through the lobby and he grinned.

Bruce came out of the elevator carrying a cardboard box and walked over to them. "Hey guys."

Lexie looked to him, "Hey Bruce."

Bruce looked at Thor, "You look happy."

"I just learned Lady Lexie's cat is named Merlin. I find that most humorous." He gave her a wink, "I will have to tell you a tale. However, now that doctor Banner is here, we should go. May I carry Merlin's journey box?"

Lexie gave him a pleased grin, "Of course."

"And you doctor? Would you like me to carry your box as well?"

"Uh, no, I'm good. Thanks."

They headed out to the sidewalk where a SUV was waiting for them, one of Tony's drivers behind the wheel. Bruce climbed into the front passenger seat while Thor opened the door for Lexie then gave her his hand to help her get in. She smiled at his courtesy, it flowed so natural from him, he had no idea. He handed her the pet carrier then climbed in himself.

Once they had settled in and were on their way Lexie turned slightly in her seatbelt, "okay, so tell me what you found humorous about Merlin's name."

Thor's voice filled the vehicle, "Well, Merlin was a great Mage, he had the ability to shift into the form of a cat. I find it fitting that a cat should be named after him." He glanced at Lexie and saw her staring at him, mouth slightly hanging open. "Lady Allexandria?"

"You're saying you knew Merlin? The Merlin? The king Arthur Merlin? That Merlin?"

"Well, Loki knew him better than I, both being mages. And he wasn't exactly known as Merlin in his time, just as the man you name as Arthur had a different name as well. But yes, I had the honor to meet him several times when I was sent to collect Loki."

"Collect Loki?" Lexie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Loki has a way of losing track of time when he starts learning something new. Or teaching someone something, so often I'm sent to bring him home." Thor's face fell, "or I was." He forced a smile and looked back at Lexie, "when we were younger."

"I bet you two were always getting into trouble together." Lexie was hoping it was something that would bring a smile back to Thor's face and she was right.

"You have no idea. Loki is the God of Mischief, so we were always up to trouble. He always had the best ideas. We had a tutor who did nothing but chase us around with a stick in the hopes of catching us."

Lexie looked shocked, "Well that doesn't sound good."

Thor laughed, "Don't worry. He never caught me, I was much faster than him."

"And Loki?"

Thor shook his head "Loki was too small, he wasn't able to keep up, he got caught more than naught." Thor saw Lexie's look, "oh don't worry, it's normal for boys to get knocked about in Asgard. There's no dark purpose to it. Boys have wild hearts and hands that need discipline."

Lexie shook her head, "that doesn't sound very fair, Loki gets punished but you get away."

Thor's laugh rumbled in his chest, "oh it's not fair, Lady Allexandria. But it does teach a boy how to run fast and hide well." He gave her a gentle smile, "You have a tender heart, it marks you as a beautiful soul."

Lexie felt her checks blush, she was glad in the vehicle it wasn't as noticeable but from the way Thor chuckled slightly she thought he might have pretty good vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I dislike this chapter intensely, it feels forced and awkward to me. No matter how many times I edit it, it doesn't get any better. So I apologize if you agree with me.  
> 2\. I have tried and failed to write Peter Quill, I struggle with him for some reason. Which is why you will notice that even though he is a major character, he has little presence in the Guardian scenes. I thought that was better than writing him badly.


	5. Chapter 5

Lexie walked through the main floor of the complex, it was morning but quiet and the lights were dim because she was the only one home in the residential portion. It felt like everyone else was gone on a mission, off somewhere on personal time or somewhere else on the complex. It had been like this for several months now and she was finding that she missed New York and her ability to keep busy.

The displays were up and running so she walked around looking at them, only stopping when she came to a displayed photo and name. The name was Loki and the photo was of a black haired, pale skinned man with bruises and scrapes on his face. Green eyes stared sullenly at whomever was taking the photo but what really made her stare was the curved, metal muzzle that was covering his mouth and jaw. She wondered what he had said that had made someone put it on him.

He certainly didn't look the picture of a mischievous boy that Thor painted him as. She had seen blurry cell phone videos of his attack on New York's Manhattan and if she hadn't of known that this man was responsible she wouldn't have been able to tell from the videos alone. Now the attack in Stuttgart, that had plenty of video that left no doubt who was responsible. The two events were obviously done by the same man, the horned helmet made the identification pretty easy. Video that had been confiscated nearly instantly by S.H.I.E.L.D. or painstakingly scrubbed from the internet.

She picked up a keyboard, sat in a rolling chair, and typed in a couple commands. What looked like a hologram of the universe appeared, projected all around her. She couldn't help faintly smiling, this was still amazing no matter how many times she sat in the middle of it. She grabbed her phone, scrolled through her music, selected her tunes and turned it up. She gave the command to set the universe into motion.

Bruce leaned against the door frame, one arm crossed, holding the other hanging straight down. He had been able to watch Lexie for a few minutes now because her back was to him, he was pretty sure she wouldn't be sitting there singing to herself if she knew he was there. He watched her pick her phone up and look at it.

Muttering to herself Lexie looked at the lyrics to the song, ''really? Sippin' the finest in the field? What the heck does that even mean?"

"Google it." Bruce said walking in as though he hadn't been watching.

Lexie jumped and her phone went flying along with the keyboard from her lap. "Jesus Bruce! You scared the heck out of me, I didn't know you were home." She spun the chair to give him a shaky look.

"Sorry, sorry, I thought you knew I was in the building." He felt horrible. Picking up her phone he handed it to her. 

She took it and turned the music off. "Its always you quiet ones to watch out for." She gave him a half grin, "walking on cat feet."

Bruce headed towards the kitchen, "speaking of cats, you find Merlin?"

Lexie frowned, "no, its been four days and no ones seen him. But F.R.I.D.A.Y. says he's in the building and I'm still cleaning his litter box and putting out more food." She followed him and he cracked the lid on a bottle of water before handing it to her.

"If F.R.I.D.A.Y. knows where he's at why don't you just have her tell you? Then you go get him and you don't have to worry about him." Bruce looked at her questioningly.

"Because he obviously needs some time alone, he wouldn't be gone if he didn't. Besides, he always comes back. I just worry if he's gone too long. He was feral before I got him and I don't want him to decide he doesn't need me for more than food and pooper scooper duties." She shrugged.

Bruce shook his head and raised his eyebrows. "Its a cat, Lexie."

Lexie gave a dramatic gasp, "Oh! I can't believe you would say such a horrible thing." She grinned and headed back to the conference room, Bruce following her. 

He walked under a hand written sign that said, Locate Loki HQ that had been attached to the wooden beam with tape. Someone had sent an arrow dead center through the letter o in Loki. "So have you found any thing different? Something we missed? Anything?" 

She shook her head while taking back her seat and picking up the keyboard again, "Tony had F.R.I.D.A.Y. go through this, there's not going to be a mistake."

The AI spoke, "thank you, Lexie."

Bruce looked upward, raising his hands, "I wasn't saying anything against you F.R.I.D.A.Y., I'm just, getting desperate I guess. Its been almost two years since Loki was taken and we're still no closer to finding him."

The AI's voice was soft, "I understand doctor, everyone is under pressure to find him."

Lexie was looking at various highlighted spots in the holographic map of the universe. "All of our Thanos sightings, a different planet and each time it was because he was searching for an infinity stone. But none with Loki beside him." The universe lit up with nearly a dozen bright red dots.

Bruce leaned on a the back of a chair and let his eyes wander over the image spinning in front of him. "Thor says Heimdall still can't see Loki. So where is he hiding?"

The cavern lit with the blue white light from a portal opening. A moment later multiple bon fires came to life giving off bright light that cast deep shadows. Thanos walked to where Loki had been hanging only to find his body laying in the dirt. Loki was a skeletal figure, covered in layers of filth and gore. His long hair was stiff with blood, it was crusted all over his body into every line and crevice. His hands had finally been thin enough to simply slip from the cuffs. Thanos knelt down and poked at one of the lesions where the grubs had been feeding, nothing moved. He ripped open the stitching and saw that the grub was dead. It had starved to death.

Standing Thanos asked Ebony Maw, "Is It alive?"

Maw came forward and raised a finger, whisps of red energy caressed Loki's head for several seconds. "Yes sire, though just barely. It doesn't have long now."

Thanos sighed. "Heal It. I'm not done."

He moved towards the portal when Maw spoke again, stopping him, "Sire, I must confess to failing you" He bowed his head, prepared for death. " I can heal It's body if you wish to amuse yourself with that. However It's mind has moved beyond my ability to bring It back to Its previous level of mental consciousness. That would take a specialist. It would have to be moved."

"There's no amusement in an empty body. Do what you must. I simply want It to know despair again."

"Yes Sire. Your will shall be done." Maw raised his bowed head, motioned and opened a second portal and stepped through. Loki's body rose into the air and followed behind like an obedient wraith. 

Maw stepped to the other side of the portal into a ship that hung in a far corner of a very old galaxy that was partially collapsing in on itself because of a black hole. The ship wasn't alone, hundreds of thousands of other ships hung in the same corner of space, occasionally those on the edges colliding and sending parts spinning off in various directions. However there were so many ships that there wasn't enough room for most to do more than bump each other, perhaps become entangled. Yet this ship was the only sign of life, the only one with exterior lights.

Maw walked down the hall, the lights turning on as he passed then going dark as Loki's body came along. Ahead light spilled into the hall from a room with a door damaged from what appeared to be energy blasts from a weapon. Maw walked into the huge room that at one time was a dining area. Tables of various heights were spread around while tall benches seemed to be the only other seating. A figure turned around to watch him as glided forward to a stop before her.

The woman was beautiful yet everything about her was jarring in its conflict. Golden brown skin that covered just slightly too long limb. With a face of pure innocence, she had large eyes the color of deep brown with bright orange streaks in them. Hair that nearly brushed the floor was black. Dressed in a snug white gown, everything about her seemed to not belong together. She opened her mouth to speak, showing a mouth full of gleaming white teeth sharpened to points. "Maw, what have you brought me?"

Maw motioned Loki's body forward and it settled in a careless pile on a square metal table, facing down. "Glavis, the Master has brought you his prize pet. It needs to be returned to functionality in mind and body."

Gracefully gliding forward she looked down and licked her lips, "he looks dead." She stretched out a delicate looking hand and with a finger that ended in a sharp nail she poked it into the flesh at Loki's shoulder and sliced all the way to his hip bone that jutted out painfully. At first nothing happened then a thin welling of pale red blood showed in the slice.

"Lord Thanos commands that you repair the mind first. The body is of no importance without the mind. It must be repaired with all memories intact. Nothing can be lost."

Glavis looked at Maw with an arched eyebrow. "But of course. I'll set a repairing spell on him, that will not be difficult. It will only require time." She looked down at Loki, "or if you wish the body can be made to appear healed however it won't be a true, deep healing. The body will immediately begin consuming itself again. Though Lord Thanos would not know."

Maw voice held a threat. "Careful of your words, creature. Our Master requires It fully healed."

Glavis didn't seem afraid, "Then our Master needs to send me his toys for repair before they get to this condition." She motioned to Loki's skeletal form. "I have so very little material to work with." She ran a finger over Loki's naked hip. "However it can be done. With time."

Maw leaned forward. "With time. You wouldn't be wanting time with this body would you? Alone?"

Glavis smiled with childish looking innocence. She walked over to Maw and ran her long fingernail over his black leathers, "Oh but Maw, it's so very lonely out here." 

Maw moved back with a hiss and a look of disgust on his face. "You have as much time as our Master gives you." He pointed to the black wires that had tightened into Loki's flesh no matter how much weight he had lost. "Do not remove those. Do not even attempt to. Previously this was a powerful Mage. Remove those and It may still be able to access Its magic. If It can, It will kill you."

"I know what they are, Maw." Glavis looked at Loki with surprise and interest. "Powerful? Truly? How utterly fascinating."

Maw sneered, "yes, you would be fool enough to think so." 

Glavis looked at him with annoyance, "If he has his own magic it would aid in his healing. He can most certainly heal himself better than I. And of course, faster if Lord Thanos' desire is to have him sooner." 

Maw turned back to lean forward. "Do not tamper with them or you will find that Lord Thanos is not as tolerant of you as you think." Glavis pouted with a smirk and Maw moved out the door and through a portal, Glavis' laughter following him.

Lexie was outside in the back of the residential building working in her large garden box. Technically it probably belonged to Tony but since he had no idea he had paid for it or it even existed Lexie claimed it as hers. She had herbs growing in it along with various flower bulbs. She was weeding a pretty much weed free garden bed when the hairs on her head started to stand up. She looked over to what she considered Thor's landing pad. It was the area where a symbol had been burned into the grass so many times it was permanent. Now she stood up as she saw the brilliant rainbow colors that signaled his arrival.

It had been nearly four months since he had been to earth last and everyone was wondering what had happened considering he had been coming several times a month before. When Lexie saw her friend she raised an eyebrow in surprise as she walked to intercept his quick steps. Sometime while he had been gone he had cut his hair short and now it had grown out, almost brushing his shoulders. He really did look like a Point Break, ready to hit the surf even though he wore leather, metal and a cape.

"Thor!" She waved a hand to catch his attention since he seemed so focused on going inside that he might totally miss seeing her.

He looked at her and his serious expression lightened only slightly. He caught up her hand and gave it a quick kiss, "Lady Allexadria. You look well."

"Thank you. But you look tired. Exhausted really. We missed you, I hope everything is okay at home?" She searched his face and saw the flicker of sadness cross his face.

"There's been trouble, otherwise I would not have stayed away so long. But now I had to come because everything has changed." He finally looked excited. "Heimadall has finally seen Loki."

Lexie couldn't help herself, she literally gasped and her mouth dropped open while her eyes widened. "Thor! That's amazing. Come on, we have to tell the guys."

They rushed inside with Lexie calling out, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., tell everyone that they have to assemble in the conference display room. It's important."

"On it."

It actually took everyone close to ten minutes to arrive from separate areas of the complex but once they saw Thor their anticipation grew. He would only be here because of Loki. 

Bruce came in first because he was in his lab reading a binder from his university days with notebook pages coming lose and sticky notes marking hundreds of spots. He shook Thor's hand, "Hey buddy, we were getting worried."

"Getting?" Lexie shook her head, "I was already there."

Thor faintly smiled, "Tis a long tale, better told another time."

Bruce nodded, he could clearly see that whatever was bothering Thor was not something the god wanted to talk about. "Of course, whenever you want to talk we're here."

Thor nodded then watched as Rhodey came in from the left side of the floor while Tony came in from the right. They both arrived at the same time and Rhodey came over first to shake Thor's hand, "Thor, good to see you."

"And you, largest of metal men." Thor gave Rhodey a wink.

Tony had been about to say something but now he looked at Thor with a shocked expression. "Wait, what did you just call him?"

Rhodey spoke first, "you heard him Tony, the largest of metal men."

Thor looked innocent. "Well is that not the truth, Stark? Is he not bigger than you?"

"Yeah Tony. Am I not bigger than you?" Rhodey did not wear an innocent expression, he had a huge smirk on his face that grew into a laughing grin. He crossed his arms and raised his eyes.

Tony raised both fists in the air and flipped them off. "Whatever."

"Jesus Tony!" Lexie jumped from her seat and rushed over to him and grabbed one of his hands. "What happened to your hands?"

Tony looked down at the back of both of his hands where the knuckles were split with flaps of skin hanging lose and bleeding. He flexed them slightly while staring at them, "um, I was trying to loosen some nuts and the wrench slipped."

Lexie went to get one of the many strategically placed first aid kits while Rhodey looked down at Tony's hands. There was a slight tremor to them. "That's a lot of slipping." Rhodey's voice was suspicious, nearly accusatory. 

Tony said nothing, he just turned to go sit at the far end of the table, where Lexie sat next to him and started pulling out first aid items. Taking one hand she started by opening a cleaning wipe and swiping at the blood. 

Steve came in quickly, it was obvious from his t-shirt, sweat pants and running shoes that he had been out exercising. He saw Thor and he nodded, "Thor, I hope you've got good news to tell us."

"I do. But shouldn't we wait for the Window and Barton?"

Steve shook his head, "They're out on a mission for Fury. It's just us."

"Very well. Heimdall has seen Loki. I know where he is."

Tony hissed and his hand jerked out of Lexie's grasp. She looked at him, "Sorry, I know that stings."

Tony didn't say anything, he just gave her his hand back. He was staring down at the table top, under it his leg started jumping. Keeping his head down, he raised his eyes and locked on to Rhodey's which he had felt boring into the top of his head since he had sat down.

Thor was speaking, "With the location, if we contact Quail his ship can take us there."

"Quill." Steve was nodding, arms folded, one hand rubbing his chin. "I'll contact Fury, have him send a message. They can be here in a few minutes with the way they explained their jump portals." He shrugged, "but I would say we should be ready to go in less than thirty minutes." He looked to Bruce, "except you of course."

Bruce nodded, "yeah, trust me. I have no desire to go to space. At least not in a tiny little ship with a talking racoon."

Tony stood abruptly, pulling his hands from Lexie's and clapped them together once, "okay, as of right now I declare that we're officially commencing Operation Bringing Thor's Crazy Ass Brother to Earth for Questioning. Remember, dress warm, space is cold."

He turned to leave but Lexie said, "Hang on, let me wrap your hands." She reached into the first aid kit for some gauze but Thor came over.

"Hold on that, Lady." He reached out for Tony's hands but the man pulled back with a quizzical scowl on his face. "Stark, trust me." His voice was low.

Tony looked even more uncomfortable, "Sorry but I really don't like people touching-"

Thor reached faster than anyone watching would have though the big god could move, his palms over the backs of Tony's hands. No matter how hard Tony pulled he couldn't get free. Suddenly there was a sound like crackling static electricity and white sparks popped off the backs of Thor's hands. Tony yelped and Thor let go of Tony's hands.

Tony leapt back from Thor with a freaked out expression on his face while shaking his hands as though he'd just stuck them in an outlet. "What the Hell?!" He tucked his hands up under his arm pits, "what was that? Oh God, please tell me we're not married? God damn it, Thor. I had lucky boxers I wanted to wear for my special day."

He shook his hands a couple more times then looked at them. He froze. Hardly moved to breathe.

Lexie moved closer, taking one of Tony's hands in hers then looking at Thor with a smile of awe. "You can heal?"

Tony's hands were completely healed. Not even a scar remained. He looked at Thor who was looking pleased with himself yet still was able to look slightly uncomfortable too. "Only small wounds, most warriors can. I haven't done it in a long time. The last time was probably when-." His face went expressionless, he shifted the conversation with a forced pleasantness. "Can't have you going into battle with damaged hands. I believe we'll need every advantage we can have. I do not believe Loki will come easily. He knows there is no freedom waiting for him with me." He looked around at the group. "Even if he didn't want to return to this Titan, I'm sure he's joined back with him after all this time. We all remember what he was like the last time he was on Midgard."

There was silence for a few seconds as everyone had their own moment in their memories. Then there was a collective breath and they all seemed to shake off a spell. Steve took a deep breath, "We need to get ready."

Tony looked from his hands to Thor then muttered, "you could have done this before the alcohol wipes." He turned and moved with everyone else to leave.

Rhodey caught up with Tony. "Care to explain?"

"What?" Tony ignored the elevator and caught the stairs two and three at a time, he had nervous energy that was burning like a fire inside of him. He could feel sweat starting to bead in his hairline. He needed a cold shower if he wasn't going to cook alive in his suit. There was a ringing in his left ear. They were actually going into space. Space. To get Loki. From Space. Damn it was cold in space. He better wear something long sleeved. Right?

"Your hands."

Tony held them up, "What about them? Look fine to me." He could see the door to his apartment floor.

"Tony, when I asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. where you were she said she didn't know."

"Huh, weird." Tony opened his door slipped through and slammed the door in the face of one of his oldest friends. He fell back against the door and grabbed at his chest while clenching his eyes shut, trying to take deep breaths. It didn't work and he rushed to the bathroom to vomit.

Back in the conference area Thor stood staring at Loki's photo. Bruce was watching him, looking like he wanted to say something but he wasn't really how to begin. Lexie walked over to Thor and gently bumped in to him with her shoulder. He glanced at her with a gentle smile. She pointed with her chin, "no matter what he's done I think you'll be relieved to have him back."

Thor nodded, "if for no other reason than I know he won't be causing chaos for any one else. Loki is a whirlwind of havoc where ever he goes."

"He couldn't have always been like that?" Lexie thought he seemed to lose his sadness talking about Loki as a young boy or man rather than the more recent adult he had become.

"No, not at all. There was always excitement where he went but it was harmless, for the most part. Granted, there were the occasions where he was truly angry and those never ended well for any one. But for the most part he always kept himself controlled. He never showed his emotions so it was hard to know what he was thinking unless he was up to a trick of some sort. Then you would never miss the spark in his eyes."

Lexie smiled, "So a boy with a calm mind and a wild heart." She sat in her chair so she missed Thor's expression of first thoughtfulness then consideration as he stared at her. But Bruce saw it.

The Milano was going to land in upstate New York under newly installed cloaking technology partially invented by Tony however that didn't protect the normal air traffic in the area so it was still dangerous. At least for the human pilots. For Rocket it was something he could do without paying attention so he didn't. 

"Now Quill, you need to double our rates. We're not some shuttle service." He glanced at where they were going and adjusted course at the last second.

Gamora wasn't pleased. "Rocket! Pay attention. The earth air ships can't handle our turbulence."

Rocket shrugged and mumbled, "and how is that my fault?" But he slowed down. A few seconds later they came up on the coordinates for the Avengers complex and landed on the grass in an area between portable beacons. Standing near the building they could see a group waiting.

Peter unbuckled and hopped out of his seat, "You guys wait here, I'll go get them." He headed opened the rear ramp with everyone following him. Turning around he glared at them, "guys, come on now. We're trying to be a little subtle here. And out of all of us, I'm the only one even slightly subtle on earth."

Drax sounded confused, "Why am I not subtle on earth? I'm shaped just like an earth man except better. And more mighty. Is that why? Because I am better looking than earth men?"

Peter stared at Drax for a long second, "that's it exactly. Yep."

Standing under the roof overhang Tony was in his Iron Man suit with the face shield up. "Forget this, he's taking too long." He started walking over to where he knew the ship was parked even though all he could see was the side of the ramp, the ship was still fully cloaked. 

Rhodey was in his Iron Patriot suit with the helmet down. He caught up with Tony but didn't say anything or even look over at him. Steve in his tactical black Captain America suit with his shield on his back was close behind.

The sound of a vehicle engine caught everyone's attention and they all watched a black SUV come into the complex at a high rate of speed. It skidded to a stop and Sam stepped out, "Steve!" He waved at him to come over.

Steve frowned but jogged over to him where the two began a conversation.

Lexie had put her hand on Thor's shoulder before he could walk away and he turned to look at her with a questioning look. "I know I already said good luck to all of you but I want to tell you that I really hope that everything turns out okay. That maybe there's more going on than we know? So maybe take it easy on the little brother till he tells his side, yeah?"

Thor smiled, "Lady Allexandria, your heart is too soft. That may be fine for rescuing cats in need of a home but for Loki," he shook his head, "that's just dangerous." He gave a wry smile, "but don't worry. There will be enough time once he has been turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D. to get his side of this tale." He nodded to Bruce who was standing back near the glass walls then turned to join the others.

Rocket stood with his arms folded, "we should get paid up front. These guys are all gonna end up dead and then who's gonna pay us?"

Tony had walked up the ramp and heard Rocket so now he scowled, "Listen Trash Panda, we're good for it. See that building over there?" He pointed to the vehicle building that he also would tinker around in when he could find the time. "Its full of chocolatey goodness in the form of boxes of snack cakes. If I don't make it, feel free to take 'em all."

"Sounds good. Lets go." Peter turned and waved everyone on board.

As the team passed them Tony turned away and quietly said, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., order a couple dozen more cases of those snack cakes."

"Will do boss. And good luck."

Tony walked down the ramp, he focused on Steve and Sam who were still talking, their conversation had gotten serious. The two men were standing with their heads close together, their body language made it clear that whatever they were talking about was intense. Finally Steve turned and jogged back to Tony. The expression on his face was grim.

"What's up, Spangles? Someone break in and steal your gramophone?"

"I can't go."

Tony closed the distance between them and hissed, "What'd you mean you can't go? This isn't a movie date. We need you. Who the hell is supposed to lead this band of merry men?"

Steve looked confused, "You, Tony."

"Me? Me? Are you insane, Rodgers? I can't lead these guys to capture Loki."

"Why not?"

Tony stared at Steve then swallowed, glanced away then back, "why can't you go?" He pointed a gloved hand in Steve's face, "and don't you dare say your mom won't let you."

Steve looked uncomfortable, "all I can say is that it involves Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. and a guy we're chasing."

"The Winter Soldier?" Steve raised an eyebrow. "What? I told you I've got S.H.I.E.L.D. hacked. No secrets from me." Tony nodded, "okay, so you've got a lead?"

"Something's going on today at the Triskellion and Sam and I have to keep an eye on it. Intel is light but somethings out there."

Tony paced away from Steve, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He swallowed several times before turning around and walking back. He shook his head and looked torn. "Fine. Just be careful."

Steve nodded. "Of course. It's just a low profile recon but hopefully it will provide us with answers."

"If I'm gonna be in charge I expect a full briefing when you get back." Tony gave him a mockingly serious look, "I mean it. With crayon drawings and everything."

Steve smiled then gave a quick salute before he jogged back to Sam. Tony watched him climb into the SUV and the vehicle speed away. He turned to walk aboard when a golden glow appeared a few feet from him, sparks flying out from it. Dr. Strange stepped out of it and the portal snapped shut. Tony held out his hand, "no, nope, sorry, this car is full. You'll have to wait for the next one."

"Knock it off, Stark. You don't think I would really let you bring a powerful Mage to earth without me being there to supervise, do you? Especially Loki Odinson, the same man who tried to take over my world and who destroyed part of my city? You're seriously out matched to fight a Mage of his power."

Thor came back to give Strange a hard look. "We're taking him alive." Tony looked back over his shoulder at Thor for a second with a thoughtful expression. 

"Oh really?" Strange walked up the ramp to face Thor directly. "And just how do you plan to do that?"

Thor reached behind him, past his cape and pulled something off his belt. A chain with cuffs on each end. Runes were deeply carved into each link and all around the cuffs. "He wont be able to use his magic while wearing these."

Strange took them and a thin golden light enveloped his hands and the cuffs. He looked interested. "Very different." He handed them back to Thor. "However those are Asgardian. And since Loki will be on my earth," he shrugged, "my rules. Which are that he will be bound by my magic."

Thor frowned, "I have no idea how your Midgard magic would affect him." He shook his head, "no, I can't allow that."

"I wasn't asking." Strange walked past Thor and into the ship.

Tony came up the ramp, past Thor where he was stopped, "Stark, I won't allow Loki to be damaged by wild Midgardian magic. Loki must have access to a certain amount of his magic. I wont allow him to be utterly cut off."

Tony shrugged. "Lets worry about getting him first, yeah?" He gave Thor a fist tap on the chest and finally the ramp closed as the two men found a place to sit in the crowded ship.

Glavis had begun the healing spells on Loki. She started with healing his body, that would take time but once started would take no more of her attention. Starting with his bones she healed them, giving them energy to begin production of needed blood cells. Then she moved on to his organs, cleaning and repairing each then restarting them as well. She ran a finger along an arm, flaking off blood and dirt to reveal the white skin underneath.

Moving slowly around his body she brushed and poked at various wounds. There were still dozens on lesions that had the dead, rotting grubs inside. She pulled out the thread of several of them, ripping the skin which didn't bleed. It didn't matter to her the damage she was doing, it would all be healed. She didn't clean the wounds, she simply wanted to see what had been done.

When she reached Loki's head she looked at the wound on the back of his head. The skin hadn't been brought together so it was healing split apart, showing the fractured skull pieces below. Glavis brought a hand down on the pieces and pushed a finger through until she was touching his brain.

"Now little Mage, let us see what you have been up to." She grinned maliciously, closed her eyes and licked her lips. She stood there for a length of time before opening her eyes and leaning over to whisper in his ear, "Oh, my, what a naughty boy you have been." She chuckled. "Or at least you think you've been. Still, we shall have fun with those memories." She stood and removed her finger from touching Loki's brain and licked it. 

Reaching down with both hands she hovered them above the skull fragments. Slowly they rose from where they had been depressed and began knitting themselves together. After only a few moments the skull was sealed, no sign there had been any damage.

Next she took her long fingernail and ran it under the edges of the two halves of skin that had already begun healing. The edges had grown against the skull rough and ragged, they needed to be brought back together to cover the skull. There was only a slight amount of blood as the edges were peeled up. Glavis smiled. She truly enjoyed her work. With a jerk at both halves she pulled them together and once more with magic she began sealing them together.

Once she had finished setting the physical body to slowly heal she went back to Loki's mind. Putting both hands on the side of his head she said quietly, "now, to get a taste of where you have hidden yourself off to. And once I find you, then I think you shall find my pleasure in your suffering a welcome change from Lord Thanos'."

Loki didn't know how long he had been sitting in the darkness of his mothers garden but he knew that he hadn't been seen by the figures searching for him. He knew them all, Thor, Frigga, soldiers he had served with, even enemies he had known and killed. But it was worse when it was Odin. That was when he just wanted to come out screaming for them to just leave him be. Or to let them take him and just sink into the filth and be done with it. To give in. To break. But for now he could still keep quiet, leaning back against the rocks of a wall in an overgrown corner. He knew it was the only way he was safe. No talking. And no touching. Oh, by the gods, absolutely no touching. 

He heard a voice calling his name. It was different than the voices he had become accustomed to, he didn't know this voice. It was calling in a quiet voice. Calm. "Loki. I know you're here. It's alright. You can come out. I'll keep you safe."

Loki pushed back farther into the bushes, his knees were already pulled back to his chest, they couldn't go back farther. There was no where else to go. He couldn't use his magic, too painful, it crushed him.

He could see slippers stop in front of the bushes he was hiding in. "Loki. You can come out. I won't let any one hurt you. You don't know me."

Loki didn't move. He didn't even move his eyes from those slippers. Suddenly a face appeared before him and he jerked his head back. A sharp and oddly familiar pain cracked through the back of his head and he clenched his eyes closed and hissed in pain. He clapped a hand over his mouth. He had made a noise and fear pounded through him. But no one shouted an alarm. No one came for him.

"See? You'll be fine." A hand appeared through the leaves, "take my hand. You don't know me."

Loki slowly reached his hand out and hesitatingly grasped the outstretched hand. As soon as he touched her, he knew that she was telling the truth. He didn't know her.

Peter had brought the Milano to a drifting stop and now the Avengers and Dr. Strange looked out the forward windows. Everyone was crowded together, mouths open in awe at what they were seeing. Even the Guardians were looking impressed at just the huge number of ships floating in front of them.

It was Rhodey who asked, "What is this place? Some kind of ship scrapyard?"

Gamora answered, "There was a war here. A long time ago. We're on the farthest side of this galaxy, no one really knows what happened but no one comes here if they don't have to." She shrugged, "all that's left are the ships, no sign of any life. Dead or alive. Just empty ships."

"Great." Tony muttered. "So how do we find the one Loki's on? Gamora?"

She turned to look back at him, scowling. "I've never been here before." She waved towards the window, "he could be on anyone of them or none of them. Why he would be on any one of them makes no sense."

Rocket spoke up, "well I would say he's right here." He pointed a little finger on his paw at a screen, "out of all these dead hulls this one ship has partial power." He looked up and shrugged, "I say we go check it out."

Tony saw faces turn to him and he realized they were waiting for him to say something. "Sure, sure, why the hell not."

Loki stood in front of the woman's figure, in the darkness of the garden he couldn't actually see her face. He looked down at his hand in hers, he could touch her. Everyone else sent his mind spinning off into a horror of memories that churned his soul.

The woman raised her hands to the sides of his face, "Be still." Her voice was rougher now, her grip seemed painfully tight but he obeyed. He felt a burning tingle in the back of his head, he tried to flinch away but he couldn't move out of her grip. There was the beginning of a knowing, a realization. He tried again to pull away and she dug her nails into his skin.

He saw Thanos and his head tried to jerk free but her nails dug into his skin. He saw his torture, it flowed over his mind like a raging river of fire, with the remembered pain washing over him just as quickly. He saw the punishment with the Besstraffenners, those memories making the burning worse, like a fire under his skin, crawling down his shoulders. Too fast. Too much. Too many emotions being torn through his mind all at once.

Glavis surged through his memories, hungry for them, she wanted them all at once. Licking her lips she took them, pulling them forward in huge pieces rather than letting them stream in order. She didnt need them in order, they were a delicious pleasure no matter. She moaned at some of the more horrific memories, these she slowed to enjoy them deeper.

Loki reached his arms up, gripping his hands on the woman's shoulders. He wanted to stop the flood of memories, to drop to his knees. He felt her touching his mind. His mind ripping. Tearing apart. He felt pieces fluttering around him like ashes, burnt paper. He needed to find a place to hide. Needed it to stop. Instead, he leaned forward until their foreheads met. He pushed at her but couldn't break free. Too much. He reached for something, anything to stop her. Break the connection.

Back in the room there was a flash of green from Loki's palms then nothing as the black wires clamped down faster than they ever had before. Nearly instantly. Digging deep into Loki's skin. But the spark was more than he should have been able to do. It was enough.

There was an explosion of the deepest, blackest light of his mind and Loki felt himself being hurled away from his mothers gardens.

As soon as they were through the airlock and onto the ship, Rocket turned and ran down the hall, turning at a corner disappearing out of sight. 

Tony watched from inside his helmet, not daring to call out, "shit." He whispered, "that rat is gonna get us killed." He turned and started forward. 

Strange was behind him then Thor. They had agreed that Thor's one job would be to subdue Loki and get those cuffs on him. Strange's assignment was to make sure the threats were neutralized then weave his own restraints onto Loki. Hopefully Thor and Strange could act at the same time. They were taking no chances. Rhodey was last, keeping a watch over their exit route and making sure there were no surprises sneaking up behind them. 

The lights triggered on as they walked under them, off once they were past. Tony kept his hands up, ready to blast anything that jumped out at him. They moved down halls and around corners. Moving as quietly as they could it was creepy how still everything was. There were doors that seemed sealed shut, or at least they weren't opening no matter how hard they were pushed on. Finally they turned a corner where they all saw the block of light at nearly the same time. 

Tony's breathing picked up slightly but after a slight hesitation in one step he kept walking. "God I hate this movie." he muttered.

Strange already had his hands up, he was ready for whatever came his way. He hoped.

Thor had the cuffs in one hand and Mjolnir in the other. He didn't know which one he would need first, both were ready.

Rhodey kept his head on a swivel, looking back and forth between front and back. He was watching for the damn raccoon in the hopes it was going to show up before everything went to hell.

Tony stopped a few feet from the door then glanced back at Strange who gave him a nod. However before they could move there was a flash of green light from inside the room. Sparks popped out of the doorway, the sound of small explosions were heard and the room went dark.

Tony, Strange and Thor rushed the room while Rhodey set up in the doorway watching the hallway. Tony looked around the room with his night vision while Strange sent balls of golden light throughout the room. 

In the faintest of lights Thor saw a woman's body laying on the floor. Without thinking he slung the cuffs back onto his belt so he would have a free hand to check her breathing. She was alive and he looked around.

Tony moved carefully, his enhanced vision showing nothing as he swept through the room. He felt uneasy, it was so large. And then he saw something. Not a heat signature but rather something cold. He carefully moved closer until he was staring down at it. But he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing so he snapped his face shield up and tilted his head.

Strange and Thor heard the snap and looked over to Tony. With a glance at the still unconscious woman Thor called out quietly, "Have you found something, Stark?"

Tony started to kneel then stopped and glanced to Strange who caught the expression on Tony's face. Strange couldn't tell in the dimness what exactly it was but he was getting a very bad feeling so he moved in Tony's direction. Seeing this Thor followed.

Strange stopped next to Tony and almost instantly dropped to a knee. He lit a brighter ball of light and floated it closer and what it showed made both men suck in a loud breath. Tony turned and tried to stop Thor, "Hold up, wait Thor. Wait damn it!" 

But Thor had seen legs, he knew there was a figure on the floor so he easily shoved past Tony. Strange's light was enough to flood his vision with too much information. "Loki!" His voice was overwhelmed and he dropped to kneel beside his brothers body. He looked at the still, nearly skeletal, naked frame covered in filth. Loki was nearly unrecognizable, Thor reached out and clasped Loki behind the neck and lifted his head and shoulders from the floor. But it was the mouth and eyes that brought tears to Thor's own eyes yet anger to his face. He quickly unclasped his thick red cape and enveloped it around Loki's body as he picked him up, he couldn't believe how there was no weight to him. He pointed with a jerk of his head, "There's an unconscious woman over there."

"I've got her, head out." Tony snapped his shield down while moving in that direction and scanned with heat vision to find her. Nothing. He rose up in the air to get a better view when suddenly he saw something streak past from the corner of his vision. A woman. Heading out the door and down the hall. Damn.

"Guys! Woman coming your way." He was out the door and after her. "Hey lady!"

Thor and Strange had moved past Rhodey and taken off at a run back to their exit point. Rhodey followed, at Tony's words he glanced behind him and his eyes grew huge. Yelling he said, "Yeah Tony, not sure that's a lady!"

Glavis was chasing after Loki. She was running on all fours, hair streaming out behind her, mouth open. She looked like a nightmare come to life and she was getting closer. And Rhodey couldn't fire because Tony was right behind her, He turned and yelled, "Faster! Run faster!"

Thor picked up his legs and gave a burst of speed. Strange wasn't going to get much more speed out of his legs so he was preparing a spell but he knew he would have to wait till they were going around a corner so he would be able to miss hitting Rhodey. 

Glavis leapt onto Rhodey and knocked him into the wall where he tripped and went down. Tony flew past him easily, "Bet you wish you were smaller now, yeah?"

Rhodey didn't waste his breath, just got back up and started flying knocking holes in the ceiling and walls, he didn't care about stealth any more.

Finally going around a corner Strange threw the spell and expected to see the creature chasing them get tangled up in a golden web. Instead in one smooth move she went right through it and threw her own red ball of magical energy at Strange, engulfing him. He was sent flying down the hallway into Thor who fell, rolling and curling around Loki to protect him.

Glavis rose to her feet and walked forward, looking curious. "Why would you steal from Lord Thanos? There are easier ways to seek death. Less painful."

Tony and Rhodey came up behind her, again they were helpless because of the crossfire danger. Thor spit out, "Loki doesn't belong to Thanos."

Glavis gave a short, cruel laugh, "oh but It does belong to Thanos. It's been his amusement for some time now. Until My Lord broke It and It was brought to me for repairs." Her eyes turned hard along with her voice. "And I will not have It stolen away, leaving me to face My Lord's wrath."

Tony powered up his repulsors, "sorry Superfreak, but he has an appointment and he's late. But, maybe next time we're in the area we'll swing by."

Glavis tilted her head as she looked back at Tony and Rhodey then again to Thor. She then pointed to Strange. "You I don't know. But the rest of you. I know you. I saw you in It's mind." She gave Thor a smile that made his stomach roil, "you are the brother." She faintly smiled while letting her eyes roam over him in a hungry gaze, "how much better you appear than in It's nightmares." Without more than a twitch of her fingers both Tony and Rhodey were instantly unable to move inside their suits. They couldn't even speak.

Strange noticed the red flickering coming in and out of the two men's suits, while he didn't know what had happened he knew something had. "Stark?" He got no answer so he shifted his gaze and senses back to the woman in front of him.

She stepped forward and raised her hand, palm up. "Now give It back."

Thor had gathered Loki's body back into his arms and stood, now he shook his head while taking a step back, "Never."

Strange studied the woman intently. She took a step forward and raised her other hand. "You have no concept of that word. You will not steal from Lord Thanos. Bring. It. To. Me."

Before Thor could refuse again Strange spoke up, "Perhaps the lady is right." He looked back at Thor who's eyes grew huge, anger flashing across his face. "Trust me, this may be the only way we all survive. Go ahead. Pass in front of me." Strange gave him a firm nod.

The muscles in Thor's jaws bunched into tight circles but he took several slow steps, then moved sideways past Strange. His eyes locked on the creature ahead of him. He grimaced at her grin of triumph, her tongue ran over the sharpened teeth and he could see red stain them. He could also feel Strange quietly tug the Asgardian cuffs from his belt and he felt relief flood his body.

"Drop." Strange's voice was calm but Thor dropped like a rock into a crouch, resting Loki on his knees. The cuffs flew faster than sight to clamp themselves on the creatures wrists, locking in place.

Glavis felt the magic in her body lose control, shooting out in places and bouncing back in on itself in others. It didn't vanish, she simply couldn't control what was happening to it. She collapsed to the floor as these restraints on her wrists burned, the runes beginning to glow the red of the fire they were forged from.

Rhodey and Tony were instantly released. Falling they tangled into each other but scrambled to separate and get to their feet. They had no idea what was happening but they didn't want to face it sitting on their ass.

Thor looked down at Loki in his arms, Loki was starting to shake and Thor tightened his grip.

"What the hell?" Tony yelled.

No one had time to answer because Rocket was shouting at them, "Could you guys have taken any longer to solve that? Now move it, we've got seconds before this place blows."

Thor had gotten to his feet, now he threw Loki over his shoulder and raced after Rocket, "Lead on Rabbit!"

Tony repeated himself, "What. The. Hell." He and Rhodey were right behind Strange. 

Hitting and rounding a corner they were at an outside wall where there were windows that let them see the Milano. They still had this hall, a corner and another hall before they made the airlock coupling.

Rocket shouted over his shoulder, "we're not gonna make it!"

Tony connected the link that let him make contact with the Milano, "Quill, Fire it up and break the air lock. We're coming to you the fast way." Almost instantly the ship began moving away. "Wizard, portal, now!" They had just made the first turn when an explosion went off in the hallway they had just left. A golden portal opened ahead of them and each of them ran through at full speed, only coming to a stop as they slammed into a wall of the Milano, each piling up on the other. 

Peter pulled away from the blast of the ship which was spreading through it. Going into a steep movement slid the pile of Avengers and Dr. Strange apart while Thor held tightly to a still twitching Loki. Tony and Rhodey finally got to their feet and quickly found a corner to magnetically lock their suits to the floor so they could step out. Wearing t shirts and sweat pants they were covered in sweat. 

Strange brushed himself off while staring down at Loki. He was staring at the arm that had fallen lose from the cape and despite the blood, filth and bruising he could see the black wire that went around the arm. He ignored Tony and Rhodey rushing past to go look out the front windows and instead knelt down to examine Loki. He held a hand over the black wires where he would place his restraints then quickly stood up. Strange felt the absolute depravity intentionally imbued into the restraints and he took a step back. He had never felt anything like it and he knew even touching Loki would taint him. He turned and went to join the others, he would have to rethink how to contain Loki's magic so he couldn't use it. 

There was a huge burst of light when the exploding ship finally reached the remaining fuel cells and began a chain reaction starting with the ships closest to it. Peter spun the Milano around so they could watch it. Ship after ship exploding.

Tony nearly shouted, "who's idea was it to blow the ship?"

Gamora turned to face him, "no one could know that Loki was rescued. Thanos would never stop looking for him. And for us. As soon as we got here, anyone on that ship was dead."

Tony shook his head, watching explosion after explosion spread across their field of vision.

In the instant of Glavis's death and the end of her healing spells on Loki he was bereft. There was no gentle ending or coming away. There was no warning to Loki. He had already been struggling since being flung away from her in the gardens. When the cuffs with the runes had been placed on her he had instantly recognized the Asgardian magic as it sent her healing spells spinning off inside of him in directions it wasn't meant to go. Now with this third blow his body began slowly arching, his arms reaching out to slap at the floor.

Thor tried to hold Loki down but unless he wanted to cause harm, he couldn't stop Loki's body from rising in a bow. "Wizard!" He bellowed. 

"What now?" Strange turned from the mesmerizing sight and moved quickly further into the ship only to come to a sudden stop when he saw Thor's cape draped over Loki like a cloth over a magician's assistant. Only his head and toes were touching the ships floor and if he kept going he would clearly snap his spine.

Strange rushed forward and went to put his hands on Loki but stopped. "Strange?" Tony looked from him to Loki. "What's wrong?"

Strange motioned to the black wires that were now clearly visible snaking around Loki's wrists arms and neck. "Thor, where did he get those?"

"Father had Loki sent to the Besstrraffeners. They put them on."

Strange frowned. "I won't touch Loki with those on." 

Thor looked at Strange, frustrated. "He needs help!" 

Strange met Thor's eyes then looked down at Loki who was still bending unnaturally then asked quietly, "Do you accept whatever I do no matter the results?"

Thor looked at Loki with agony in his eyes, "Yes, yes, whatever the results. Just do something." 

Strange created a ball of swirling orange light with what looked like bright blue sparks. "Stark, come closer."

Tony had been standing back watching with Rhodey, now he looked at Strange with disbelief. Under his breath he muttered, "Rogers you little shit, you owe me." He moved next to Strange.

"Hold out your hands."

"Why can't Thor do this? It's his brother."

"Damn it, Stark, hold out your hands." Tony held out his hands and Strange gently slid the ball into the center of both his hands. "Now drop it on him, anywhere."

Tony held his hands over Loki's chest and split his hands apart and the ball dropped. It seemed to sink right into Loki who instantly dropped to the floor as if he were suddenly boneless. Thor grabbed him by the back of his neck and lifted him into his lap then slowly brought him up to his chest, wrapping his arms around Loki.

Tony looked at Strange in appreciation who just shrugged, "magical muscle relaxer. And Thor couldn't do it because I configured it for what I thought would work for an Asgardian." He turned away and spoke so only Tony could hear, "It would have either worked or killed him."

"So that's this scary powerful mage we traveled across the galaxy, hauling all of you, to come and capture?" Rocket stood staring at Loki with contempt. "Doesn't look like much. But whoo," he waved a paw in front of his nose, "he reeks like death."

Thor growled, "Rabbit."

Gamora pushed past everyone to crouch next to Thor, she reached out to point at the black wires. "You need to get these off of him. They've been on him too long already."

Thor glared at her, "I'm not taking him back to the Besstraffenners."

Gamora tilted her head. "I don't know them by that name. I've heard them called Agall."

Strange nodded, "Nga a' Ye."

Drax called from behind them, "Chell. We did not use them."

Gamora spoke again, "They wouldn't take them off anyway. The only ones who can do it without killing him are the Al'Isians. They can remove them. For a price."

"Whatever it is, I'll pay it." Thor spoke instantly.

Gamora smiled sadly, "you can't. Only Loki can pay it."

Thor cut her off. "What more can he pay? He has nothing left but his very life." He stood up with Loki in his arms. 

Gamora rose with him, "fortunately they'll take this as payment." She touched the black wire. "they'll be pretty sure that he won't want it back since it would only ensnare him again."

She looked at Loki's face, the wires in his mouth and eyes. "that's one of Thano's favorite tortures. It will have done a lot of damage to his eyes."

Thor looked to Strange, "can you remove the stitching?"

Strange came forward, careful not to touch Loki. He held back his wince as he looked at the damage done from all the times Loki had struggled to scream, ripping his skin. "I would suggest waiting till we get back to earth. There's no reason not to wait a little longer to make sure we don't do more damage. Besides, I won't touch him till those are removed." He pointed to the black wires. 

Gamora pulled the cape further down and revealed one of the stitched incisions where the grubs had been placed. Her face went hard and she turned her eyes away for a moment before forcing a neutral expression onto her face, "I can get him cleaned up."

"You recognize these wounds. What are they from?" Thor's voice was hard.

Her voice was trying to be kind, soft even. Still, it carried and they all heard her. "You don't need to know everything, Thor. Spare yourself this little thing. There will be enough-"

"Answer. Me." Thor didn't wasn't kindness and his words weren't soft nor were they quiet.

Gamora shook her head and pulled out a knife. Tony and Rhodey shifted their feet but every one else was perfectly still as they watched her bring the knife to the stitches holding the wound closed. She slid the tip under a strand and looked into Thor's eyes while raising a delicate eyebrow. He met her question and nodded. She cut the stitch and then the next. Once she was done she used the blade to pull back the unhealed flap of skin.

Thor's eyes narrowed, "What is that?"

Gamora used the knife to scrape the grub out of the wound and to the floor.

Rocket moved closer, "ewww, that looks like a Gobatti grub. Those are disgusting."

Drax moved to crouch down and study it. "Yes. They are most disgusting of creatures. They nest in their host for years, feasting and growing fat as they consume flesh of the host until they have consumed them. Then they turn into a most beautiful bird." He looked intently at the carcass. "Though I have never seen one this skinny. This one looks to have died of starvation." He stood and pulled the cape back, revealing the dozens of matching wounds.

Thor groaned in his throat. His head bowed and his shoulders hunched. Tony turned away. "Shit shit shit. I need a drink. I'm kicking your ass Rodgers." He walked off and before he disappeared around a corner he pointed back at Rhodey, "Stay!"

Gamora spoke quietly, "Thor, bring him to the refresher. I'll get him cleaned up." She met his eyes, "Ive done it before." She held his gaze.

Thor stared at Gamora. She would have cleaned Loki only because she he could not. And he only would have been unable because she was the one who tortured him into that state. Thor's mind was whirling in turmoil. This woman had changed. Could he take her as a hope that Loki could also change? Finally he gave his own nod and was about to turn to follow her when Drax stepped up. He held his arms out, his voice was respectful, "let me brother. I will bring him back to you. No harm will befall him. You have my word."

The two men stared at each other until Thor handed Loki's body over to Drax and they parted ways. Thor took in a deep breath. He found a spot he could rest his head against a bulkhead. His emotions were scattered. Nothing was as he had planned. Everything he had believed was wrong. He shook his head. How just like Loki to be involved in something that left nothing as expected.


	6. Chapter 6

Lexie had needed to go outside, she had too much nervous energy that couldn't be walked off in the confining space inside. She was in what she considered the back of the residential building because she had the wildlife refuge in front of her rather than the parking lot of the complex. Bruce was outside with her though she wasn't sure that was really better than being inside. At least inside if he was inside he couldn't see her pacing in a circle. He'd been trying to get her to meditate to relax, so far it had not worked. At all.

"Hey Lexie? You wanna come try again? This time we could do a different meditation. I picked this one up on a little island near Madagascar."

Lexie stopped and stared at him. "Does it involve breathing like a lemur Bruce? Because thinking like a sleeping grasshopper just made me think of being eaten by a chicken. And that wasn't really relaxing."

"Yeah, no, I can see where, um, no." Bruce stood up to shove his fists in his pockets. "I think we can-"

Both of them exchanged uneasy looks as the ground shook under their feet. Small tremors that didn't knock them to the ground but certainly let them know something was happening beneath their feet. They both noticed that from dozens of locations in the huge complex there were circles and ovals up to six feet across of asphalt or grass rising from the ground. They were sent flipping only several feet into the air before landing back on the ground.

Lexie yelped and ran towards Bruce who was running towards her, once they met he grabbed her hand while tying to keep an arm around her shoulder before they started to run towards the residential building. They had only gotten a few yards before coming to a sudden stop in shock. Out of each hole came a version of an Iron Man, rocketing hundreds of feet into the air and taking up what looked like defensive positions, turning with their arms out. Repulsors glowing white or red, several disappeared in various directions out over the refuge while others headed in the direction of the road leading to the complex from the main county road.

One of the Iron Legion suits came to hover in front of them and spoke in Tony's voice, "Hey there, you guys need to get inside. We're going into Barn Door Protocols and this isn't a drill." The voice was much too cheerful.

"Shit." Bruce took Lexie's hand and yanked her into running behind him right up to the doors which opened as they got closer. 

As soon as they were inside they heard F.R.I.D.A.Y. "Doctor Banner, Protocol Barn Door has been initiated."

"Why? What's wrong? What happened? Is it the mission? Oh god, is Loki coming?" Now that he was safe inside he felt the panic start. Hug, thick slabs were slamming down on all the windows on the entire building. Nanotech wrapped around support columns. The windows shifted color, becoming darker, changing molecular structure. The doors audibly locked and were reinforced by layers of steel sliding in front of them. In seconds they were in relative darkness.

All the displays began to show various news channels so they moved closer. The TV's in the other rooms popped on but there was no sound. Lexie spoke first, her voice was confused, uncertain, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., what are we seeing? Where is this?"

"Washington D.C. The Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters."

Bruce looked from screen to screen, "but what happened? What is happening? Is this live?" 

They watched as video feed from what appeared to be security cameras and even hidden cameras from across the river showed helicarriers rising from the Potomac. They weren't shielded from sight, they were clear as day rising up into the sky. Then they started seeing explosions on the deck of first one then another.

Lexie put her hands to her mouth. "Oh no." Her eyes moved from one screen to another, trying to take it all in.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. sounded like she was multitasking when she answered Bruce, "This is live. I'm pulling audio and video feeds though most links have been shut down or severed. And though this is the most obvious attack there are others happening at every S.H.I.E.L.D. installation and station the Boss has under observation. Which is every one we know about. This is world wide." The video feed shifted on half the displays and suddenly they could see video from obviously different parts of the world.

"World wide? S.H.I.E.L.D.s being attacked? By who? Who could attack S.H.I.E.L.D. all at once all over the world?" Lexie looked to Bruce. "No one can organize that."

F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered in one clipped word, "Hydra."

Bruce jerked as though he'd been slapped, "No, that's impossible." He shook his head while walking to stand closer to the displays and closer to Lexie. 

Several displays changed to cameras installed outside the complex. "Doc, we've got company ourselves." 

Bruce and Lexie stared as a dozen military vehicle sped through the huge parking lot and spread out while still heading straight for them. Most were Armored Personnel Carriers with mounted machine guns though there were a few reinforced SUV's in the bunch. Before anything could happen the Iron Legion went to work.

Both Bruce and Lexie flinched when they felt the ground shake and even in the sealed up building they could still feel the deep thudding of explosions. Bruce put his arms around Lexie as their eyes went from the displays showing the carnage going on right outside their door and what was happening all over the world.

They watched as the helicarriers fell from the sky on fire, slamming into the ground. Water exploded hundreds of feet into the sky. There was only one left and it was coming down fast though it was struggling to control its fall. It was obvious that it was going to crash into the building itself and in seconds it did.

"All those people. Bruce, all those people." Lexie felt behind her for a chair and he helped her sit down while kneeling down beside her. She bowed her head to her hands, her hair fell forward along the side of her face.

He reached out to put his had on her shouder. He didn't feel angry, just shocked. Still, his pulse was elevated and he knew he had to get it down, and soon. "Lexie, I've gotta-"

"Under the table!" F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice was a command and Bruce grabbed Lexie and spun her under the table while he got a split second of a warning when he caught a glimpse on surveillance of a rocket that had somehow been launched. It had made it through the Iron Legion and was coming for them.

It hit a corner and there was a hard jolt to the entire building. Bruce clenched his eyes shut as bits of random building material dusted down on them. He pushed a breath out and tried to drag a deeper one in and it wasn't working. He needed to get outside. He crawled out from under the table and towards the doors. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., open the door!"

"I can't open them until Barn Door Proto-"

"Damn it open the door!" He screamed, he could feel it happening, the sensation of losing Bruce and he couldn't do it while inside here. He pulled on the door then pounded on it, Hulk would destroy the building with Lexie in it. And there was no way he was going to explain that to Tony. He felt the panic building and with it the edges of his ability to think as Bruce started to fray, he couldn't think clearly the more Hulk came forward.

Lexie saw what was happening and she darted out from under the table and ran to the exact spot Tony had showed her one night when everyone was gone. He explained what to do and how it may or may not work and under what conditions to be desperate enough to try it. She reached a tall decorative table that had a beautiful and expensive porcelain vase standing on it. She shoved the vase to the floor where it shattered across the floor and a two foot tall, shiney silver extinguisher was revealed.

Grabbing it, twisting and breaking the plastic key release she grabbed the nozzle, all while running towards Bruce who was now kneeling in front of the still closed doors. But she could see that he was much more Hulk than Bruce, massive green muscles rippled through a shredded shirt. The hands that gripped his head too tightly were just as green and massive, it was almost done, she had seconds, maybe. Hopefully. Probably not.

"Bruce!" When the head turned she covered the Hulks face in a heavy, wet green mist. The cloud cleared almost instantly to show the Hulk wiping the green chemicals out of his eyes and glaring at Lexie. "Oh crap." Lexie backed up but sprayed him again and this time she didn't stop even when the Hulk roared and ended up taking a mouthful. The extinguisher ran dry and she dropped it while staring in total fear at the huge Hulk in front of her. She'd never seen him before except on TV and had never appreciated how massive he was. He took one step towards her and she turned and ran. He tore after her, crushing every piece of furniture that was in his way. 

"Bruce!" She screamed out but it was worthless. As she leaped over a couch, part of her brain said it was amazed that she was able to get herself over it. She figured that was the part of her brain that was going to get her killed. That was also the part of her brain that was calmly telling her that she was most certainly not going to fit under any table, desk or other hiding place. Or squeeze into any nook or cranny so she might as well keep running as long as her adrenaline fueled body could carry her.

The Hulks steps suddenly slowed until he was shuffling forward slowly. Lexie dove to stand behind a wooden support beam now covered in nanotech then turned to see what had happened. The Hulk was looking at her as he slowly sank to his knees, and she watched in morbid curiosity as he slowly and painfully seemed to convulse as he physically changed back into Bruce's body.

The Hulk may have changed into Bruce's body but it was still the Hulk who was looking out of those brown eyes with a heartbreakingly puzzled expression. His hands closed into fists. He opened his mouth in a grimace that showed green. Slowly he reached out to Lexie just as his eyes rolled back in his head and he crashed to the floor. Unconscious.

Lexie came out from behind the beam and paused before rushing over to Bruce calling out, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. run a scan on Bruce, check everything." She glanced up at the display that showed what was happening outside the building. Whatever danger there had been it was gone now. There were only the burning wrecks of vehicles. Lexie ignored the bodies she could see laying sprawled on the ground.

"His scans show elevated levels of adrenaline and dopamine however they're falling rapidly. He should be fine in a few hours though he'll have one hell of a headache."

"And outside? What's the status? Are we safe?"

"There are no survivors and no one else is coming on to the campus grounds. I've advised all arriving local law enforcement that there has been an unscheduled weapons test and we apologize for not notifying them. Donations have been made to appropriate local charitable foundations."

Lexie gave a choking laugh while looking down at Bruce. His exposed skin was covered in green tinted chemicals that had already dried. "Of course. Of course you did." She nodded. "Can you open the doors now?"

"No, the Barn Door Protocol is still in effect."

Lexie closed her eyes while trying to let out a ragged breath. "And when will it not be in effect?"

"Either when I determine that the situation is stabilized or the Boss tells me. And right now I just don't have enough information."

Lexie nodded but she felt like shivering as she looked around at the destruction inside from the Hulk and outside from Hydra. It was a crazy world when F.R.I.D.A.Y. didn't have enough information.

Loki lay on someone's bunk, covered in Thor's cape though he had been dressed in a simple set of black pants and shirt that had been found somewhere. Hair washed and his body scrubbed he somehow looked even worse. Black bruises were under his eyes to his cheekbones, the black wire had left heavy purple and black blood under the surface of his skin from one wrist to the other. It dug so deep that it had sunk below his flesh and now seemed to wrap around his very bones. Where it dug into his neck, there were so many individual lines of bruises that they had blended into one thick, black bruise of blood. Only a few individual lines at the edge gave away the cause of the damage.

Thor stood at his side, staring down at Loki. His face was emotionless. He had mentally distanced himself from what had been done to his brother in order to protect himself and to think clear enough to protect Loki. It was all he could do at the moment so he wasn't going to fail at it. Though he didn't know how long he would be able to continue at it.

Rhodey had found Tony sitting propped against a bulkhead with a flask in his hand. It was small but when Tony glanced up at Rhody's face he held it out to him. Rhodey took it wordlessly and slid down to sit next to Tony, taking a sip he offered it back to Tony who waved it off.

"Go ahead, not much left anyway." Rhodey finished it and tossed the flask to the floor. They sat there in silence, Tony drew his knees up to his chest, "Rocky's right, that's not an all powerful wizard. That a broken, chewed up," he shook his head, rubbing his eyes, "I don't know, destroyed, pathetic man."

"I can't wish what little I've seen on my worst enemy, Tony. I would just shoot 'em in the head and be done. But if this is what this Thanos would do to a former ally just because they couldn't get the job done, then that guy is a lot worse than we're prepared for."

Tony let his head fall back, and he stared upwards, "We've got to get more information. Loki is our only source. He's gotta talk. So no matter what it takes," Tony turned to look at Rhodey, "are you prepare to do it?"

Rhodey looked at Tony hard for a minute, "Tony, are you talking about what I think you are? Because I'm pretty sure you can't put Loki through any torture worse than what he's been put through."

"I'm willing to do anything to get him to talk. Whatever it takes." Tony pushed himself up, Rhodey quickly followed. "Nothing is sacred." He gave Rhodey a hard looked then pushed past him.

Peter yelled to anyone within hearing, "okay people, we're here so get ready. You're gonna wanna hang on to something."

Strange looked out the window at three bright suns then at the planet, grey blue clouds swirled in what looked like massive eyes of storms. There even looked like lightening storms that covered huge areas, the flashes thick and heavy.

Strange asked, "What this world called?" He sat in a seat behind the four main ones and buckled in.

"Al'is." Peter brought the Milano down through the atmosphere, the ship rocked as the storm clouds enveloped it and Peter and Rocket switched to instruments rather than flying by visual. The ship shuddered and without warning they were in rain that came down so heavy that it almost appeared they were underwater. They broke free from the clouds and Strange had to admit he was amazed.

The world was a desert. It looked like any desert on earth in the middle of a monsoon, huge canyons carved miles deep were filled with water that looked like it was boiling as it raced along. The ground was layers of brilliant reds, yellows, oranges and purples. Even shades of blues and greens, tans and browns. It was familiar and yet on a scale he had never seen before.

The Milano flew along the ground until it came closer to a large mountain range where it slowed. The mountain side seemed to have openings carved at random intervals, none looked manmade. Thousands covered what they could see, it was obvious that there must be more beyond. The closer and slower they flew the easier it was to make out that stone landing pads had been carved out in the mountains and there were several ships perched on them. 

Peter looked over his shoulder at a tense Gamora, "any special one?" She shook her head so he flew along till he reached a spot that seemed tucked back more into the mountain and landed. The rain continued to fall in blowing gusts.

In the back Tony had gone to stand next to Thor and they both were staring down at Loki. Tony found he couldn't stand to look at the rough stitches in the god's mouth and eye lids. Instead he studied the hands, the long fingers that had grabbed him by the jaw and thrown him out of his own window. The hands were scarred and the fingers looked like they had been broken, the nails were gone.

Peter came around the corner, "okay, lets go."

Thor enfolded his cape around Loki and scooped him up in his arms and walked past Tony. He stopped at the ramp that was down and looked at the group that was gathered. Ahead of them through the rain they could see in the mountain side a huge opening that lead to darkness inside. A wide stone path lead to it from the landing pad.

"Okay," Peter pointed to himself then Rocket, "we're going with you guys, Drax and Gamora are staying here along with any of you that don't want to go." He looked at them expectantly.

Rhodey looked at him like he was crazy, "what? Do you think any of us are going to miss a once in a life time chance for first contact with an alien race?"

Tony smirked, "once in a life time chance to be eaten at first contact too, pal."

Rhodey looked like he hadn't thought of that then shrugged, "whatever. Bring it." He walked back past everyone into the ship. "I'm getting my suit."

Drax looked at Rocket, "He should not go. He puts off a most unwelcome odor when he gets moist."

Everyone looked at Rocket who glared at Drax but Peter cut off any arguments, "he goes." As Rhodey came back Peter headed down the ramp and Thor followed.

As they stepped outside the rain didn't fall on them and everyone but Thor and Strange looked up in stunned amazement. The rain fell right outside them but it was as if they were in a covered area. Rocket and Tony both reached out through the wall of rain. Strange looked back at them in subtle amusement, to Thor he quietly said, "Not too bad, god of thunder and lightening."

"It has its uses."

They slowed as they came to the entrance as they realized this wasn't a simple rough cave opening but rather a doorway carved within the sandstone with pillars and several wide steps leading up. Peter glanced at Tony then did a head nod towards the doorway.

"You have got to be kidding me."

Rhodey walked around Tony with a smirk, "That's okay little metal man. Let me show you how it's done." Walking in and easily up the steps Rhodey saw that there was actually enough light to see that the cave was a large room that had more openings leading off to unknown areas. The entire room was the colorful sandstone with the layers providing a slight reflection.

A figure came out of one of the doorways, its hands held wide and a smile on its face. Rhodey raised his arm and a rocket popped out while Strange raised his hands, orange magic in his hands. Thor shifted Loki into the arms of a surprised Tony and raised Mjolnir up ready to attack. 

Strangely it was Peter who jumped in-between, "what is going on? What are you doing?"

Tony peeked around Rhodey, "okay, that's the same thing as the Superfreak who we just got Loki from."

Peter glared at Rocket who no longer tried to stifle his laughter. "You should see all your faces! Ha!" He tried to talk but was wheezing too hard. Everyone relaxed slightly and put away their weapons.

Tony dumped Loki back in Thor's arms, "Come 'ere you little piece of roadkill, I'm gonna show you-" Strange stepped in front of Tony and directed him back around.

"Come on fearless leader, you need to smooth this over." He nodded his head and Tony saw that a half dozen of the creatures had appeared and none of them were smiling.

Tony walked over to stand by Peter. "Okay, you know how to work this deal?"

"Yeah, let me talk this out." Peter moved closer to the one who had originally come out. Hands held out in what must be a universal sign of peace, "Hey, I'm sorry for that display. My friends had an encounter with one of your fellow Al'Isians and it kind of made them a little nervous." Peter gave his most winning smile. "We've come to trade."

The Al'Isians exchanged expressions then most of them moved back through the various doorways leaving three remaining. One came forward, "You may call me Bosh." The creature looked and sounded female and once it came closer they saw it looked to be nearly identical to the creature they had just killed. Which made all but Peter and Rocket uncomfortable.

Tony stepped forward but didn't hold out his hand, "you can call me Tony." He turned his head but didn't move his eyes from Bosh, "Hey Point Break, bring Reindeer Games up here." Tony reached out and pulled the red cape from Loki's shoulder and tilted his head back showing the black wire wrapped around his neck. When Tony saw all three Al'Isians lean forward while their eyes rounded he inwardly smiled. He brought out Loki's wrist and pulled up the sleeve. This time they moved forward. Tony's smile slipped as he watched them lick their lips, their sharp teeth cutting their tongue and smearing blood on their mouth.

Bosh gathered their hands in front of them then spoke in that strange wet voice, "we will remove the kletve in trade for it."

Thor was about to take a step forward when Tony asked, "and what else?"

Bosh tilted it's head. 

Thor muttered, "Stark, my brother is not one of your business deals."

Tony ignored him. "We'll give you the kletve and what will you give us?"

Bosh glanced at Loki. "We will remove it."

Tony shrugged, "I'm sure one of your fellow cave dwellers," he motioned back the way they had come, "would appreciate the chance to remove it and also give us some small token as well."

Bosh met Stark's eyes and the two seemed to come to an understanding when Bosh gave a nod. "A small token." Bosh turned and the other two figures followed as they went towards a far doorway.

Tony clapped Thor on the shoulder, "lets get this over with."

Peter quietly chuckled, "Stark, I have to say you can negotiate for us anytime. I'm not sure anyone has ever thought to even ask for anything other than getting that damn wire off."

"Always ask for more than you think you can get. Never hurts."

"Until it does." Thor wasn't happy.

They walked through the doorway, up several wide steps and were inside a perfectly round room where the walls were worn smooth. A carved pedestal table was in the center and Bosh motioned for Thor to lay Loki there. Thor pulled his cape from Loki then carefully placed it under his head. 

They all filled the room to face the doorway then gathered in a semi -circle and Rocket climbed up Rhodey's suit to get a better view which got him a dirty look that he didn't even bother to notice. Everyone was tense at the unknown that was going to happen next and were trying to be prepared for everything.

Bosh took a step forward but Thor held out his arm, blocking him. "What will happen once you remove the wire?"

Bosh looked to Loki, "he will sleep. It will be his first sleep since the klvete was placed on him."

Strange spoke up, "what do you mean, his first?"

"There is no sleep while wearing the klvete. The mind never knows rest."

Strange shook his head, "the mind needs sleep. It can't stay awake. Without sleep a person-" He stopped and looked down at Loki. He took a deep breath and his face went blank.

It was Thor who asked, "What? What happens?"

When Strange hesitated Rhodey spoke up but he was looking at Tony, "a person goes insane."

There was silence and no movement until Bosh came forward to Loki's left wrist and placed their hands on the black wire and a tremble ran through them. Strange narrowed his eyes and watched even closer, subtly opening his magic, something felt very wrong with what he had just sensed but he didn't know what.

Bosh motioned to one of the two figures to come forward, while saying, "You may call this one Reck."

Reck put their hands near Bosh's and a tremble ran through them as well but they again ran their tongue across their sharp teeth which left a trail of blood. Touching the black wire, Reck slowly dug into Loki's skin, causing dark blood to drop steadily to the ground as the wire was raised. It seemed to come awake and begin to struggle. Bosh grasped the end of the black wire when there was enough of it free and began untwisting it from Loki while Reck held his arm. As the black wire touched the shirt Loki was wearing the fabric burned apart. The more Loki's arm came free the more the black wire shifted and seemed to flex.

Thor was standing at Loki's head, as they moved to his shoulder the shirt was burned free and his arm fell back to the pedestal. As the two moved closer to removing the wire from around Loki's neck Thor began to start to shift on his feet, his hands clenching into fists. Strange moved close enough to whisper, "If you interfere you risk hurting him. I know you don't want that, do you?"

Thor shook his head, "No."

"Then let them work. This is very specific magic."

Reck lifted Loki's head and Bosh unwound the black wire as it contracted around Loki's throat. Loki twitched and his fingers started to flex, he was choking until Bosh unwound the black wire and started down the right shoulder and to the wrist. And here the black wire seemed to resist hardest. It had already sunk deep into Loki, now blood flowed from where it still touched his skin. 

For the first time since they had seen him Loki's face began to have expressions other than pain, a frown of confusion and uncertainty. His eyes twitched, his jaw moved. His face tightened. He tried to take a breath but it appeared he couldn't get as much air as he needed and his free hand moved to his chest, he clawed at it. His legs moved, his feet trying to dig in.

Tony watched in wide eyed fascination, unblinking. Rhodey looked from Loki to Tony, wondering if his friend had realized the same thing he had.

The black wire was almost free, it's end hooked deep into Loki and when both Bosh and Reck pulled it free there was only an instant for everyone else to exhale before Loki exploded. He rolled off the pedestal and tried to get up but his body was too weak to obey. His hands came up, warding off what he couldn't see.

Thor grabbed him, "Loki! Loki, you're free, you're safe."

stop wait no wait know you no touch stop FILTH stop dark pain sound touch pleasure no touch hands wait kissing yes no wait please no touch bodies twisting laughter cold where leave me stop pleasure pain pleasure FORBIDDEN stop please stop no wait stop know you no touch please don't Thanos no stop wait NO pain too tight smiling pleasure Thanos pleasure touch yes DARK please why no magic closer wait no stop wait stop no touch no stop screaming pleasure BEAST yes wait yes no stop Thanos

Thor saw Loki trying to scream and the threads straining at his flesh. "Loki, no!" He brought one hand to the bottom of Loki's jaw and the other to the top of his head and tried to keep Loki from ripping out the stiches.

Strange held one of Loki's hands, both of which were trying to claw at his eyes, "Stark! Get that other hand." With a thought Strange sunk the spell he had prepared around Loki's wrists with a soft golden light that left behind an intricately patterned golden tattoo. It had an immediate effect on Loki's behavior, his strength seemed to almost instantly drain away in exhaustion, leaving him heaving to breathe through his nose.

Thor clasped Loki tightly then looked from Strange to Bosh. "What was that? Why did he react this way?"

Bosh tilted it's head while staring at Loki with a look of fascination. "The kletve had been on too long. It must be removed promptly to prevent mental deterioration." Bosh knelt next to Thor and Loki and reached out a trembling hand to pull down the front of Loki's shirt which showed several of the lacerations from the Gabotti grubs. Loki's wounds had been cleaned but not stitched and now the flaps of skin were lose. Bosh licked their lips.

"Enough." Thor stood and easily took Loki with him. Tony pulled the cape over Loki, tucking it around his shoulders. "I appreciate what you have done but I'll not have you, looking at him like, like that."

Bosh's hands went up, "I meant no insult. Let me offer another service." Pointing at Loki, "he has been tortured, both mentally with the kletve and physically. We have the ability to enter the mind and see those memories. By doing so the memories are softened. He would retain the memory but the emotions would be no greater than of hearing of the events."

Thor had been shaking his head through most of Bosh's words. "Loki has never allowed anyone into his mind and he would never give any one that control." Bosh looked disappointed but gave a short bow. 

"If you ever have need of our services it would be our pleasure to serve you again."

Thor nodded but he still looked uncomfortable as he turned and walked out of the room with nearly everyone following behind him. 

Tony and Strange stayed. Tony with a slight smirk as he waited and Strange with a thoughtfully careful expression of curiosity. He spoke first, "Bosh, what will you do with that?" He pointed to kletve.

Bosh smiled, showing his pointed teeth, "It retains some though not all of it's wearers memories. We are fortunate that it remained on for such an overdue time, it will carry more memories than three of others. We will observe the memories. And enjoy."

Tony lost his smirk. "Enjoy? So you're like a sadistic, emotional vampire?"

Bosh looked puzzled. "I don't know of what this is you speak. Our pleasure is ours and hurts none. The pain is finished and we offer a fair trade." Bosh reached into a pocket and brought out a piece of carved sandstone about the size of a deck of cards. "Your token."

Tony took it, "what's it good for?" It had circles of various sizes and depths carved on every side.

Bosh smiled that uncomfortable smile. "Anything you wish."

Tony looked doubtful. "Anything?"

"Yes. In the knowledge that you will bring that one back to us."

Tony shook his head, "I doubt that. He's heavy into control. He'll never let you go digging around in his brain. I don't know him that well, but I know that much."

Bosh gave what could pass for a knowing smile, "those who wear the kletve are never the same and that one has worn it for longer than anyone I have ever heard of. There are few options available to restore the reality of ones like him."

Strange spoke up, "The reality?"

"That is what the kletve destroys. The wearers reality. Then a stronger mind can weave a new reality in its place. Whatever this one holds dear, keeps honorable, and loves will be brought to utter depravity."

Tony shrugged, "I don't know how honorable he is. And I don't think he loves anyone."

"Most creatures have their own idea of honor. And few higher life forms don't feel any type of love. With the kletve all of this must be tainted. Made impure. Nothing will remain untouched." Bosh's tongue darted between its lips. "Nothing is forbidden when shattering reality."

Tony felt he'd had enough, his level of trauma was maxed out. He just wanted to go home, take a scalding hot shower, get blind drunk and fall asleep for days. Then go hang out with Pepper and forget about this whole Avengers world for a very long time. He turned and walked out, "And this is what gets you off? I'm done."

Strange watched him go then turned back to Bosh, "one more question. Did you sense any magic in him?"

Bosh looked surprised, "magic? No, none at all."

Lexie sat on the floor in the dimness next to Bruce. She had grabbed a throw blanket to toss over his naked body then several cushions from a couch and had rolled him onto them. A pillow under his head and he was as comfortable as she could physically make him. She had sat with him this way through most of the night, she knew the sun had come up from the change in the dimness and from watching the news feeds.

She had tried to clean his face, wiping off as much of the green chemicals as she could but he would need a shower to wash it totally off himself. She thought he was actually sleeping now, at least he looked more relaxed. He was going to be mortified when he woke up so she had made her way up stairs to his room and grabbed some clothes and shoes for him, they were next to him.

The displays were still playing news reports of terrorist attacks on various locations throughout the world but information was slow to come in and conflicting. The one location that was still the most obvious was D.C. at Roosevelt Island in the Potomac, the Triskelion. There was still a body count coming in. The searching had gone on through the night with spotlights sweeping the river banks.

Bruce started to wake, she saw the frown on his face and his eyes twitch while his body tensed so she rose and headed to the kitchen. She wanted to give him a few moments to himself to recover then get dressed. Plus he probably would need some water, maybe something to eat.

Bruce woke up as he rolled and started retching. He was vomiting and heaving, he looked and all he saw was green. When he heard Lexie call his voice in a concerned tone he raised his hand waving her off from coming to him. He just wanted to suffer alone for a moment. Finally he could stop his stomach spasms and he sat back on his heels. He saw the clothes next to him that thankfully he hadn't thrown up on so he pulled them on, grateful to Lexie for sparing him even more embarrassment.

Lexie watched Bruce carefully walk over to her and he took the bottle of water from her. He rinsed his mouth out, spiting in the sink then took several careful sips. He didn't look at her, he felt guilty that he hadn't been able to keep control of himself. "I'm sorry for putting you through this." His voice was raw, full of guilt and regret. He motioned to the damage in front of them.

"Don't apologize for something you had no control over, this wasn't your fault. Obviously we had no way to know this was coming."

Bruce gave a slight shrug while giving Lexie a glance that skittered off her, "well at least we know the H-42 works."

Lexie turned to look at Bruce fully, not letting him move away from her, "it works? Did you hit your head? Because that was a failure if I've ever seen one." Her voice was unbelieving.

Bruce was so surprised he actually forgot his embarrassment and stared at her, "what are you talking about? It did exactly what it was supposed to do. It knocked the big guy out."

Lexie stared at Bruce for a long second. "Bruce, that was horrible to watch you go through. You were so vulnerable. That can't ever be used on you in public. And I haven't seen you change back but I don't think this was a normal change. You went unconscious. And to stop you I had to basically make you drink that chemical and that can't be good for you, obviously."

Bruce gave Lexie one of his softest smiles and pulled her into a hug, "you're too much, you know that? I could have killed you and you're worried because I have an upset stomach."

Lexie hugged him back and gave a shuddery exhale, "well you didn't see your eyes roll back into your head. It was pretty damn scary."

F.R.I.D.A.Y. broke the mood, "Doctor Banner there's a call coming in from Sam."

"Sam? Put him through." They both moved to walk over to a display that changed to show F.R.I.D.A.Y. tracking Sam's phone.

"Hello? Tony?"

"No, Sam, it's Bruce. Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Hey Bruce. I'm fine. Is Tony back from his conference yet?"

Bruce frowned at Lexie, "Uh, no, but we're expecting him to be back soon though. Obviously there's been a lot of crazy stuff happening out there."

"Oh yeah, you don't have to tell me. Listen, Caps in the hospital, but he's fine. He's gonna be fine."

Lexie couldn't help herself, "What? In the hospital? How?" She knew the damage Steve could take and for him to actually end up in the hospital meant he had to be near death. And that meant something very dangerous had hurt him.

"We were in D.C." Lexie felt she couldn't gasp or be shocked any more today, she just didn't have it in her so she sat down in a chair while Sam went on. "We ran into Hydra. Bruce, I can't tell you not to trust anyone but Hydra has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. all the way to the top." Sam hesitated, "When Cap's out we'll meet up as soon as we can but you need to let Tony know to just go ahead and cancel that meeting he had scheduled. It's not gonna work out for any one any time soon."

Bruce was trying to take everything in, keeping to just the facts without the emotions. "Okay, I'll let him know." Bruce added, "and take care, Sam." 

"You too." 

The connection dropped.

Bruce and Lexie looked at each other, Bruce sat back against the table and exhaled, almost to himself he whispered, "What is going on?"

"Sam meant bringing Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D, didn't he?" Lexie looked at the video of the Triskelion still smoking, "there's no way to do that now." 

"Doctor Banner, my satellite connections are picking up the Milano's beacon entering our solar system."

"Can you contact Tony?"

"Not with a message but I can send an emergency code for them to make contact."

"Do it.

"Done."

On the Milano the repulsor on the center of the Iron Man suit began flashing in a pattern. At first no one noticed it since everyone but Thor and Loki were staring at the planets going by. Tony and Rhodey exchanged looks of giddy little boys as the Milano blazed past Saturn's rings. Even Strange had a smile on his face as he gazed out.

It was a profound moment that as far as they knew only less than a handful of humans had ever seen however it was rudely broken by the sound of a car alarm going off. Both Rhodey and Strange glared at Tony who turned and ran for his suit with the other two following along slower.

Peter had his weapon out while Gamora and Drax had their knives held ready while Rocket was hanging overhead, his little feet gripping several pipes. His eyes were wide in a panic as he looked around trying to find out where that horrible noise had come from.

By the time Tony had reached his suit and had reached inside to shut the alarm off Thor was also there looking angry. "Stark, Loki had just fallen asleep and now he is awake again and Tree is having to rock him."

Tony turned to look at Thor, "You have no idea how many things are wrong with that sentence."

Rhodey looked at the flashing repulsor and read the morse code before Tony shut that off too, "pizza?"

Distractedly Tony answered, "my safe word." Rhodey rolled his eyes with a grimace while holding his hands out.

Tony stepped into his suit, "F.R.I.D.A.Y.? Come on darling, don't leave dad out here in the dark."

Strange exchanged glances with Rhodey, "I'm going to hazard a guess, Stark, and say that we just heard your AI's distress signal?"

"Close, that was a code that we set up as a signal when all F.R.I.D.A.Y. can do is hack a satellite to send a micro signal because I'm still too far away." Tony made a few adjustments, "F.R.I.D.A.Y.? Can you hear me n-"

"Boss!"

"Atta girl. What's wrong?"

"Hydra."

The Milano was cloaked and flying low and slow circling the Triskelion. Even the crew of the Milano was staring at the amount of damage and the smoke still rising black in the sky. There was no air traffic within a mile except military and beyond that it was law enforcement so Rocket had no difficulty rising back into the sky.

Rhodey was dressed in his suit standing at the back ramp with Tony, "I have to go. I'm getting no answer to any of my contact calls but I can hear the other end is open so I need to show up in person."

"I know but I don't like you going off by yourself. Hydra is everywhere and could be any one." Tony was rubbing his hands together then scratching at his chest around the arc reactor then back to rubbing his hands.

Rhodey saw his friends distress, "Well, could be almost anyone. I think we have a small circle of friends that we know we can trust." Tony took a shaky breath and nodded. "Look Tony, you've got this. If anyone has this all figured out and is prepared for it, its you."

Tony shook his head, "that's bullshit and you know it. There's always something I've forgotten."

"Well, that's what F.R.I.D.A.Y. is for." Rhoey gave a grin and the two men gave each other a half hug with a back slap. Rhodey nodded to Drax who flipped the lever to open the rear ramp and Rhodey snapped his helmet down. "Catch ya later little metal man." And he did a back flip out and flew off in the direction of Washington D.C.

Tony turned and came face to face with Strange whose cloak was blowing in the wind until Drax closed the ramp up again. "Where do you plan to keep him?"

Tony smirked, "Well, your place seems to have an endless supply of rooms."

Strange didn't look amused at all. "He's not coming into the Sanctum."

"Why not?"

"My house. My rules. No sleep overs with mad demi-gods. That's sounds much more your specialty, Stark."

Tony gave Strange a sideways glance, "yeah, actually it does." He sighed deeply. "I've got a place to put him at the complex." 

"Stark!" Thor's voice came from the front of the ship.

"What now?" Tony growled as he and Strange took off. When Tony came in sight of the windows he slowed and stared. The Milano hovered above the Avengers complex, high enough to give them an overview that allowed them all to take in the big picture.

The complex was fronted by a huge lake and surrounded by a thickly wooded animal refuge however they could see the road that connected the complex to the main civilian road. Despite what F.R.I.D.A.Y. had told local Law enforcement, there was a huge presence at the gate of flashing lights from vehicles blocking the entrance. There was also what looked like several military vehicles. Several of the Iron Legion hovered in the area, making it clear there was no entrance permitted.

Tony could see several of his suits along the perimeter and wasn't surprised when one suddenly appeared in front of the Milano despite the ship being cloaked. The suit stared into the ship as if it could see them then turned and flew off.

As they dropped lower preparing to land they saw the smoke still faintly rising from destroyed vehicles, the bodies and a few destroyed Iron Legion suits. The damage to the residential building made Tony's heart pound but he had talked to Bruce and knew he and Lexie were safe and the building was structurally still sound. Still, there were serious repairs that were going to need to be made here.

As the ship came in for its landing Tony could see two figures come from out of the building, Bruce and Lexie. F.R.I.D.A.Y. must have told them they were arriving even though they couldn't be seen. They felt the ship touch down on the lawn and Tony felt an overwhelming sense of relief flood through him.

Bruce and Lexie could hear the Milano and feel the wind but it wasn't till they saw huge divots appear in the lawn that they knew where the ship was landing. They watched as the ramp opened, first making the inside of the ship visible then Tony as he came out wearing his Iron Man suit. Lexie rushed over and gave him a hug, ignoring the fact that she was hugging a metal suit. She could see Tony's face and that was all that mattered.

"Miss me much?" Tony smirked.

Lexie could tell he was exhausted as she gave him her own tired smile, "you have no idea." Lexie saw Thor and Strange coming towards them, "Where's Rhodey?"

"Washington. Then probably L.A." Tony looked at Bruce and noticed the green dye staining him, his eyes widened slightly and he tried to look into his friends eyes but Bruce wouldn't look directly at him. Tony felt true sadness for Bruce, his friend had been doing so well. Forcing himself, he scowled, "hey, what'd I tell you about throwing parties and not inviting me? Look at the place. You got the cops involved. Hell, even the military wants a piece of this action." He waved his arms around taking in all the damage, burnt vehicles and just general chaos.

"Yeah well, you know us. Party animals." Bruce looked uncomfortable but he finally gave Tony a faint smile as he came closer and gave him a hug and whispered, "We need to talk."

Strange and Thor had walked down the ramp together talking and now Thor spoke up, "Stark, Mage Strange has agreed to help Loki but he requires a healing room."

Bruce grasped Tony's arm, "Loki? You brought Loki here? Right here, here? He's in there?" Bruce pointed to the interior of the ship but he didn't need to.

Groot came walking out carrying Loki in his arms who was wrapped once more in Thor's cape. Rocket was perched on Groot's shoulders, looking around with interest, mainly towards the vehicle building that Tony had told him held their payment.

When the crew of the Milano had arrived Lexie had been by the residence building and missed seeing them close up. Now as Groot came walking slowly past she looked at both him and Rocket in obvious awe, "Wow, you're both amazing."

Groot looked down at her with a gentle smile, "I am Groot."

Rocket looked surprised at the unexpected compliment and rubbed an ear, "uh, yeah, yeah, thanks."

Bruce was staring at the figure cradled in Groot's arms. He looked between Loki and Tony, "what's going on."

"There's a lot on our end too." Tony turned to Strange, "what do you need?"

"A place I can remove those stitches, preferably some place where he can be strapped down." At Tony's curious look Strange explained, "He's going to be awake. I don't know of any way to safely anesthetize a demi-god, do you?" 

Tony looked to Thor who shook his head, "Not on Midgard."

Shaking his head Tony muttered, "this just keeps getting better and better." He sucked in a deep breath, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. show Mr. Wizard to our surgical suite, door number one should do. Oh hell, let him pick. I really don't care." Tony waved them off and headed towards the vehicle building, "Come on Peter, let's get you paid so you can blow this pop stand. Bruce?"

Bruce gave Loki one more glance then followed Tony. Catching up he said, "Tony, as much as I hate to say it, you telling me about Loki can wait. What's been happening here can't."

"I agree so give me the worst first."

"Caps in the hospital."

Tony stopped. He stopped then very slowly looked at Bruce who took a step back at the look of frustration and anger in his friends eyes and on his face. "You have to be fucking kidding me."

Bruce shook his head, "Sam called last night. He said Steve would be okay and they would come out as soon as they could but, they were in D.C."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters?"

Bruce nodded, " Sam said Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. to the top, not to trust anyone."

Tony turned and started walking again, "just better and better."

The rest of the group watched them walk off a few more steps then turned to Strange who motioned to Thor, "Let's get started."

Groot bent down to place Loki into Thor's arms but Loki tensed and tightened his grip on a rib branch. "I am Groot." Loki didn't let go, he was tilting his head as though trying to hear what was going on around him, his breathing getting louder. Softer Groot spoke, "I am Groot."

Loki's hand reluctantly let go and his whole body tensed in unknown anticipation. When Thor took him he shuddered and turned his head away, a look of pain crossing his face and his hands fisted.

Lexie froze and she felt the blood drain from her face. She had never in her life ever seen anything like what had been done to the man in Thor's arms. A part of her brain was telling her that this was Loki but she was having too difficult of a time matching this man with her expectations. She hadn't even expected to see him in person since he was going to be turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D. Yet when the plans changed she had thought she would see the arrogant god that had been so clearly in charge of himself while bringing terror to parts of her world. But this, this man with his eyes and mouth covered in clumsy stitches and what she could see of his neck looking like he had been hung, this was not what she was thinking of.

Thor headed for the residence while Strange put a hand on Lexie's shoulder, "Are you alright?"

She met his eyes and saw his concern. Letting out a shaky breath she nodded and turned to follow Thor, "Yeah, yeah. Just not what I was expecting." 

"Not what any of us were expecting."

"This changes everything, doesn't it?"

Strange looked down at her, "How so?"

"Well if this was done by Thanos, then it doesn't seem like Loki would be someone Thanos would tell his plans to."

Strange stopped and stared after Lexie as she followed Thor though the double doors F.R.I.D.A.Y. had opened. After a thoughtful moment he followed her.

Once inside F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke, "the surgical suite is accessed via the elevator."

As Lexie walked towards it with them Strange said to her, "you don't have to go with us."

She gave him a wry smile, "all hands on deck. I can help."

The doors closed and when the elevator started to drop Loki startled and his hands reached out to find something other than Thor to hold on to but there was nothing. They could see him begin to panic and Thor dropped to a knee and set him on the floor while leaning Loki back against him. Loki's hand hit the floor and with the other he tried to push away from Thor.

"Loki, relax, relax." Thor tried grabbing Loki's hands then went after his arms when that failed. Loki was making desperate noises, it was obvious he had no idea what was happening and was in terror. "Loki, it's me Thor, brother, stop this!" Thor raised his voice trying to get through the fear.

Lexie watched as both Strange and Thor tried to physically restrain Loki without inflicting any more harm to him. The cape had dropped to around his emaciated waist and she saw all the wounds on his torso and she couldn't help herself. His hand was still flailing around, trying to find something only he knew of, she reached out to grab it but he found her wrist first.

Loki had felt peace being in Groot's arms. There was only a green breeze in his mind, softly cool and it made hearing anything impossible. Yet Loki felt a shift, then a voice telling him he had to leave the green. He wouldn't. The voice explained that he had to go, when he slipped out of the green his consciousness exploded.

STOP no touch wait slow slow where? bodies know you no touch touch KNOW you touch? stop pleasure breathe stop stop no touch feel wait wait don't do it cant wrong FILTH stop no wait pain why not pleasure FORBIDDEN pain stop wait stop where are you don't no stop leave me can't know you wait no touch twisting bodies BEAST pleasures falling black sands no touch where brother no leave stop wait stop hide twisting wait no touch KNOW YOU pleasure seek stop stop stop wait don't wait why save me who who DONT KNOW YOU!

Loki's body slightly relaxed as he gripped Lexie's wrist and Thor and Strange felt it immediately. Strange stood, "Thor, move him now. Lexie, don't let go."

The elevator doors were open and they found themselves in what was a small, pristine waiting room. F.R.I.D.A.Y. had turned the lights on when the elevator doors had opened and Strange could see that there were three doors, each numbered. He shook his head and opened door one, "Stark, you have serious issues." He stepped in and held the door open and Thor came inside.

Strange went to the padded, reclined chair that was still covered in plastic which he ripped off and pointed to while turning around and taking everything in. The room was small, probably twelve by twelve but it was wall to wall glass fronted cabinets full of medical supplies and equipment that Strange knew was still state of the art. He shook his head, this was a clear over reaction to one of Tony's fears. However it didn't mean that it wasn't going to prove to be useful one day other than today.

Thor had laid a shaking Loki in the chair, as soon as he had let him go Loki's body had relaxed so much that Thor stared in shock. He looked at Lexie who seemed just as surprised, her wrist was still in Loki's grasp, his fingers flexing around it. If he hadn't of been so weak she would have had some serious bruises or worse. 

Strange brought over some supplies to the opposite side from Thor and set them on a rolling table then went and scrubbed his hands. "This is going to be a very basic procedure. Thor, you get him strapped down, Lexie don't let go."

"I don't think I have a choice."

When Thor touched Loki to start strapping him down Loki flinched away from him, his free hand swinging wildly. He was no where close to hitting Thor who had started straightening Loki's legs. After the the first belt at the ankles was tightened Loki seemed to come to a slow understanding that he was being tied down. His reaction was anything but slow. He never let go of Lexie's wrist as he sat up and used his free hand to shove Thor who was now at his knees. He wasn't strong enough and Thor easily pushed him back down, tightly gripping both of his shoulders in his huge hands and giving him a shake.

"Damn it Loki! We're trying to help you! Stop it." His frustration was clear in his voice.

Lexie used her free hand to gently touch Thor's shoulder. "Let me try. Go back to the straps and wait, let me see if I can keep him calm." Thor let go of Loki, he turned away trying to get himself under control.

Strange watched carefully. He had dried his hands and knew that was about as good as his surgical prep was going to get. However he considered that if what had been on Loki's wounds for an unknown amount of time hadn't killed him yet it was too late to worry about germs.

Lexie leaned down to quietly talk into Loki's ear, "Hey, it's okay, your safe now. No ones going to hurt you. We just need to get these stitches out of you, so that's going to sting a little." Strange gave a snort and Lexie shot him a glare.

Thor carefully strapped Loki's free wrist down, there was a struggle but Thor tried to be careful. He reached for the wrist that was holding Lexie's hand but Strange spoke up thoughtfully, "Let's see what happens, we can always strap it down if need be."

Loki's fingers flexed and Lexie watched his long fingers. They were missing the nails, her heart went out to this tortured god. She knew he had done terrible things in the past but he was right here in front of her now and his crimes didn't seem to be worthy of this level of cruelty.

Thor moved careful but he made sure Loki was well and truly strapped down with no chance to escape. Strange moved forward, unwrapped a scalpel and confidently slid it under the first stitch in Loki's mouth. It snapped with the sound of a wire being cut. 

Lexie swallowed and looked down at Loki. He was still, uncertain what was happening and how he needed to react.

Strange cut the next two strands then paused when he saw Loki's mouth twitch. Loki swallowed, his chest rose wildly as did his stomach. "Thor, unstrap his chest then get that trash stand." Thor did as he was asked. Strange went back to cutting the strands and very shortly they were all cut but Loki didn't open his mouth, he was still. Strange gently began tugging the wire from Loki's skin.

Lexie watched his eyes slightly narrow but other than that small sign of pain there was no other reaction. Tiny beads of blood welled in the holes. Strange dropped the wires in the tray, they each made small sounds. Once they were all out everyone seemed to be holding their breath but Loki didn't move, he didn't open his mouth, he still took short breaths through his nose. Strange grabbed some gauze with tweezers and wiped the beads of blood, still no reaction.

Thor asked, "why isn't he opening his mouth? Can't he tell he's free?"

Strange looked uncertain, "I don't know. Lexie, can you get yourself free from his grasp?" Lexie tried but Loki wasn't letting her go. Strange nodded, "Alright, Thor, get that trash stand ready, Lexie, get ready and if you can, pull yourself free. Thor, touch him."

Thor looked at Strange then set his palm on Loki's chest. The reaction was instant.

Loki grimaced and his mouth came open with a strangled sound. His eyes strained against their bonds as he took his first breath through his mouth, deep into his lungs. And they spasmed and his stomach did as well and Strange rolled Loki's torso over so that he could vomit into the trash. In Loki's reaction his hands opened and Lexie was free.

Thor held Loki's shoulder as his brother violently heaved again and again, the smell reminding Thor of a rotting battlefield. The stench, once smelled,was never forgotten. It had been burned into him first as a young boy and had never changed in all his years. No matter what or who killed, the smell of death had a familiarity he knew in his bones. And now this same smell was coming from the inside of Loki.

Strange pushed a queasy looking Lexie from the room then went to Thor's side and helped hold Loki. When Loki finally shuddered to a panting stop Thor grabbed a cloth from a cabinet and wiped Loki's mouth, bright red blood leaving streaks. Thor went to throw the cloth in the trash but stopped, "Mage, look." He pointed down into the long plastic trash bag, uncertainty in his voice.

Strange looked down into the long plastic bag and mixed in with both the dark and bright blood was a tangled pile that was moving. Looking closer, it appeared like long, nearly translucent worms. Strange said nothing, he took the cloth and draped it over the metal edge of the trash stand and pushed it away.

"Let's finish this."

"Lexie?"

Strange shook his head, "I think she's seen enough." And that's when they both realized that Strange still had his hand resting on Loki's shoulder, holding him half turned. Other than still panting he didn't seem to be in any real distress. "Touch him." Thor reached out and put his hand beside Strange's and Loki shifted, weakly raising his hands to push at Thor.

Thor looked hurt but covered it with a gruff, "lets get his eyes free so he can see its me."

Strange shook his head, now was not the time for understanding this mystery. He reached for the scalpel and moved it closer to Loki's right eye and snapped the strand. No reaction. Again Strange cut every single one with only a slight wince as a response then did the left eye. Strange set the scalpel down and stared at Loki. He reached down, set one hand on Loki's eye and gently tugged. Nothing.

Thor watched in amazement that steadily shifted to uneasy dread. Loki had to be in intense pain and yet there was no sign. Was he hiding it for some reason or was he just numb to it?

Once all the strands had been removed Strange washed Loki's eyes with saline, flushing them repeatedly until they flowed clear instead of with first dark blood then bright red. Strange straightened and kept his head bowed, looking down at Loki. He had a dreadful understanding of what he was going to see as he gently lifted the lids to Loki's eyes.

Thor had moved away to wait for the procedure to finish and now he moved closer with a smile, finally he could reassure Loki who he was. "Brother, its me."

"Thor, wait." Strange held out his arm, his hand trying to stop the big man but it was too late.

Thor had gotten close enough to look down into his brothers bright green eyes in hopes that he would see a sudden flash of recognition. Instead he saw the damage that had come from being sewn shut with wire. His brothers eyes were a mass of bloody flesh. Loki was blind.


	7. Chapter 7

stop no wait no no no quiet do I know you why touch no wait pain sweet sweet not real real? stop no touch find back go twisting bodies black sands surrender no no break no pain pleasure bodies BEAST dark no breathe purge burning sweet pain no sweet no touch not thanos darkness before black sand falling drop pleasure stop stop FORBIDDEN please stop no touch touch FILTH crave no no touch please do I know you find me find me searching NO leave me don't leave me I don't know you don't touch me touch me stop

Tony and Bruce stared at Loki who was laying in one of three clear sided cells that was one level below the main floor. He had a white bandage around his head that held gauze pads over his eyes, Strange was going to consult and get back on what to do about them. Laying on his side he was on the single bed in the cell with a blanket over him but he hadn't moved since Strange had used his magic to float him inside. Next to Loki sat Thor, hunched over on a chair with his hands folded as his arms rested on his knees, staring down at Loki's face.

In the hours since their return Tony had showered and finally had a single drink as he ate a grilled cheese sandwich and had a bowl of chicken soup that Lexie had quickly made for them. Bruce had showered as well, the green dye washing down the drain while the chemicals had reactivated enough to send him vomiting in the toilet again. He had sipped some soup but wasn't up to much more.

Tony sighed, rubbing a hand over his face then through his hair, "what the hell am I supposed to do, Bruce?"

Bruce looked at him in surprise, "we gotta fix Loki. I mean, he's our best chance at getting information on Thanos, right? Saving the universe? That is still our plan, isn't it?"

Tony smiled at Bruce through his exhaustion, "Yeah, that's still the plan. And a damn good one if I may say since it was mine." He frowned, "it was my plan, wasn't it?"

Bruce turned Tony towards the elevator, "go get some sleep. No offense but you look horrible."

"Buddy, have you looked in the mirror?" 

Bruce nodded, "yeah, I actually have. I'm just gonna check in with Thor and then head up."

Tony glanced back thoughtfully. "Yeah, okay." When he left the holding cells he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Pepper.

"Tony? Oh my god, Tony! Is that you? Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for two days! I thought something had happened to you again. Tony? Tony! Are you there?" Tony had always thought Peppers voice was like the best private concert he'd ever heard. Loud and up and down while full of emotion and energy and it was all for him. He guessed he could compare it to something else too- "TONY!"

He had closed his eyes and leaned against the back of the elevator and nearly fallen asleep. "I'm up, I'm up, what?"

"Are you sleeping? Have you been sleeping this whole time?" Her voice said she believed this was clearly a possibility.

"No, no, Well, I may have just taken a micro nap but I have most definitely not been sleeping. The last, um, F.R.I.D.A.Y. how long have I been awake?" He stepped out of the elevator into the entryway to his apartment and over to the closest piece of furniture he could lay on.

"I only know the time you've been awake while on the planet."

"What did she say? Did she say while you've been on the planet? Tony where have you been? Have you seen what's been going on?"

Tony grinned drunkenly in his exhaustion, "Yeah, we had a little excitement at the complex too."

"Oh my god. Is everyone okay? Is Lexie all right?"

"Yeah, you know her, tough woman." Suddenly something snapped into Tony's brain and he sat up. "Pepper, are you okay? Where's Happy? Where are you?"

"We're fine. Happy got an anonymous call with a S.H.I.E.L.D. code that he said was a priority uh," Tony heard her yell, "Happy, what did you call that secret code?" There was a muffled reply then Pepper came back on, "oh, it was a priority exfiltrate code. He got me out on the jet." Her voice lowered in disbelief, "Tony, there were black military vehicles chasing us on the runway,  
shooting at us."

"Bastards." Tony muttered as he rubbed his tired eyes. "So where are you now?"

"I don't know exactly." The phone got moved again, "Happy, where are we? What?" there was a pause and then Tony heard her very clearly exclaim, "what? Oh my god! Eww, that's disgusting, Happy."

Tony grinned in his exhaustion and laid back down on the table, curling up on his side. He had a pretty good idea where they were. Closing his eyes he just waited for her to confirm.

"Tony you're disgusting. Happy said we're at the new building where you did you know what into the cement mixer pouring the foundations."

"What? I gave that building life. Literally and monetarily."

"That's gross, Tony." But she was laughing and Tony smiled.

Back downstairs Bruce put his palm on the ID reader then went through the door when it clicked. From behind he saw Thor wipe at his face and Bruce knew the god had to be in utter agony and confusion about his brother. This was nothing that any of them had been prepared for. Thor had hardened his heart against a trickster who was a beloved brother yet was also the God of Lies. Now the man huddled in front of them resembled nothing like a god or Thor's brother. 

Bruce came forward and knelt next to the bed, pulling the covers back from Loki's face slowly to see where the stitches had been removed. He sucked in a quiet breath at the brutal, ragged holes that unevenly lined Loki's eyes and mouth. Pulling the blanket further down he saw several of Loki's incisions. Strange had removed any dead skin and bandaged what he could. Several wounds had healed in angry red scars and it was one of these that Bruce touched. 

Loki's hands snapped out and pushed at Bruce's hands while sounds that were clearly a negative came from his ruined throat before he suddenly clamped his mouth shut tight, going silent. He still swung his arms to fend off Bruce. He pushed at him with hands that violently trembled but he kept trying to defend himself.

stop no touch no touch monster quiet no noise searching pain stop wait stop no touch I know you I KNOW you don't touch no FILTHY pleasure only get off pain pleasure FOBIDDEN stop wait pain black sands pleasure crave dark twisted bodies go stop leave stop wait no touch BEAST please no wait stop FOUL give in surrender fight live anger no no touch wait stop surrender monster pleasure no wait please no touch I know you wait stop wait where are you I DONT KNOW YOU?

Thor sat straight up, "Banner! I thought it was only me. He allowed Strange and Lady Allexandria to touch him. But with me he had the same reaction as with you."

Bruce looked at Loki thoughtfully while shaking his head. Loki had dropped his arms in exhaustion though his hands still twitched. Bruce moved to one side of Loki, held his hand close to his ear and snapped his finger. Loki startled but didn't strike out. Bruce stood while he crossed one arm and propped the other on it while rubbing his knuckles on his chin. He had a puzzle in front of him. "Are you staying for a couple days?"

Thor nodded, "yes. I'll have to return to Asgard soon but I need to settle him first."

"Okay, lets get started on a couple tests and we'll see what we can learn. F.R.I.D.A.Y. where's Lexie?"

"Upstairs in the kitchen."

"Can you ask her to come down here? And to bring Loki some soup?"

Thor looked questioningly at Loki's emaciated form, "Banner, I don't think Loki will be able to keep anything down."

"I don't think so either but food is a basic need which makes it a powerful motivator." Bruce reached for several bed pillows on the foot of the bed, "let's sit him up more."

Thor hesitated then tried to gently grasp Loki behind the neck with one hand and around the torso with the other. Loki lashed out but his strength was failing, he couldn't do more than attempt to push at Thor after several weak blows. Bruce slid the pillows behind Loki's back and head then Thor let him settle back.

stop stop no no touch oaf FORBIDDEN stop no touching I know you get off stop no touching wait black sands twisting bodies I know you pleasure stop pain magic no magic anger loud pain pleasure stop ODIN no break pleasure FORBIDDEN no surrender no no no BEAST go away no consume me surrender break no break leave no touch me get off stop please battle cold strength save me tired black sands dark quiet looking searching finding no pleasure crave FORBIDDEN no stop wait tired stop get off pleasure FORBIDEN please tired stop I don't know you I DONT KNOW YOU no touch no touch stop stop

Finally Lexie came into the holding cell area and Bruce opened the door for her while she held a hot bowl of soup on a small tray. Thor took it from her and set it on a metal table that was attached to the floor. She was staring at Loki, her sympathy clear on her face.

"How's he doing?"

Bruce watched Loki but saw no reaction to Lexie's voice. "Well, we discovered he doesn't like me to touch him any more than he does Thor. Later on we'll try Tony and see what happens. Meanwhile, I want to try a couple quick tests with you, if that's okay?"

"With me? Okay, whatever I can do to help."

"Go ahead and sit down, slide your hand on the blanket so he knows you're there then take one of his hands. I want to see how he reacts to you." Bruce slid his glasses on and leaned closer to observe Loki's face.

Lexie carefully put her hand on the blanket and slid it down towards his hand. He tensed, he went so still he stopped breathing. When she took his hand Bruce watched as Loki's entire body relaxed more than he had ever seen it.

stop touch no no no touch wait touching I don't know you touch I DON'T KNOW YOU touch I don't know you why where pleasure pain BEAST stop wait go no stay tired stop no wait wait stop no break no find search black sands twisting bodies find me pleasure me FILTHY craving touch pleasure no pain touch I don't know you pain pleasure stop wait stay

Lexie watched as Loki's long fingers twitched around hers, his hands were weak. His whole body was deathly pale, his skin nearly see through with faint blue veins visable.

"Okay, see if he'll take some soup."

Lexie shook her head, "I doubt it, he looks too tired to eat." 

Thor handed her the bowl with the warning, "make sure it's cool, Lady Lexie. Loki is very sensitive to any type of heat. Excessively so."

She glanced at him but he wasn't looking at her so she just nodded and took up a small spoonful from the far side of the bowl and blew on it gently. She brought it close to Loki's face and held it close to let the scent travel to his nose.

They saw when he caught the scent, his head moved away. Lexie brought the spoon closer to his mouth, "Loki, just give it a try, you'll like it. I promise. It's my own recipe." She saw the fear on his face as he panted and was confused, why would he be afraid to eat? Then she thought of him vomiting and Strange taking the contents with him back to the Sanctum. Alien worms. And she wondered if he had been force fed and if he had been, what had he been forced to eat before his mouth had been sown shut? She handed the bowl to Thor and impulsively dipped a finger in the spoon then touched the drop between Loki's lips.

stop no touch no touch no eat wait no do I know you? I know you why lips no please no eat stop pleasure pain FILTHY no break surrender no I know you touch pleasure BEAST twisted bodies get off  
black sand falling taste pleasure do I know you? stop wait no lips taste me I know you

They watched as Loki slowly sent his tongue out to taste the drop. He didn't react so Lexie brought the spoon to his lips and gently tilted the soup into his mouth and Loki swallowed.

And nearly as soon as he did he was turning to vomit. Thor grabbed the entire chair Lexie was in and yanked it back. Bruce grabbed the plastic waste basket they had been using for medical trash and put it under Loki's head while pulling him closer. Nothing came out, he just dry heaved.

stop MONSTER no touch me touch no no pain pressure pleasure no get OFF crushing destroy no touch no touch anger pain pleasure stop BEAST no monsters dark FORBIDDEN no break stop no stop no touching stop wait please wait stop STOP hate foul FILTHY no touch stop me stop monster no eat no touch help I don't know you stay stop wait stop no touch

When Loki seemed to be done Bruce helped him sit back against the pillows. "Try again, Lexie." He folded his arms and rocked on his heels.

Both she and Thor looked at Bruce in surprise but she answered, "are you serious? You just saw what happened with barely a spoonful. He's in no condition to eat."

Bruce shook his head, "I want to know if he'll eat for you, let you make him go against his own needs. He knows what will happen if he lets you feed him, but will he do it for you anyway? That's what I need to know."

"After that reaction he'd be crazy to." Lexie took a spoonful of the soup broth from the bowl Thor held, blew on it then brought it around to Loki's mouth. 

He was still panting, his head lolling to the side in exhaustion. She brought the spoon to his lips and he went so still. He held his body motionless. He stopped panting, holding his breath. Then his hand moved across the bed, almost crawling over the sheets until it came to Lexie's thigh which was pressed against the side of the bed. His long fingers touched her, pulling back for a moment before stretching back out and making the barest contact. His fingers trembled against her for a moment then he slowly opened his lips. He swallowed and vomited again.

"Again."

After the ninth time Thor saw a tear slide down the side of Lexie's check. "Enough Banner." He took the spoon from her hands and dropped it in the bowl, "enough of your tests."

Bruce was silent. The only sound was Loki's labored breathing, his mouth hung slightly open as he struggled to breathe. "I had to have enough samples to know that it was always the same reaction. I needed to know if he would stop on his own."

Lexie turned to look up over her shoulder at Bruce, "how long would you have kept doing it?"

Bruce looked slightly uncomfortable but he met her eyes, this was science and facts and he knew he was right. "Until he stopped or he couldn't physically do it any more."

Lexie turned back around and took Loki's hand. "you guys should leave, go get some sleep. I'll stay with Loki till he falls asleep. Shouldn't take too long, he's exhausted."

Bruce waited a moment. He opened his mouth to say something but he didn't know what to say. He was willing to do anything in the name of science. While he had sympathy for Loki, it couldn't cause him to lose sight of the goal. Finally he just turned and walked out with no intention of sleeping. He was going to the lab to start making notes. He had a puzzle that the universe needed solved.

Thor thoughtfully watched Banner leave. He realized that Banner had a priority over Loki's best interests. Thor knew that there was a larger issue with Thanos but for him, at this moment, it came down to simply wanting his brother back. He wanted his trickster brother, not this pathetic creature laying here in misery. Loki would be mortified if he could see himself in this condition and would be furious at Thor for allowing anyone to see him. The condition of his body was bad enough but it was the lack of mental control that would cause his fury. Thor was certain Loki would stab him twice if he knew. 

"Lady Lexie, I have to go see someone about Loki. Please don't remain with him too long. He'll be fine alone, he always has been."

Lexie nodded, "Just till he's asleep. I'm pretty tired myself. It's been some intense couple days."

Thor nodded, "yes it has." With a final look at Loki, Thor left as well.

Lexie stared down at Loki. He was a mess, his hair was past his shoulders, tangled and damp from his sweat. He needed to be at least wiped down on his face and neck. She tried to pull her hand lose so she could reach for some sanitizing wipes that had been left in a package on the floor near the bed. Loki weakly gripped her hand and she thought there was a slight shake of his head but it could have been a simple twitch. She pulled at her hand more forcefully and when she pulled free she watched his finger stretch out, searching.

stop no wait tired stop no touch touch me I know you wait no go away stay stop no eat please stop black sands bodies twisting pain pleasure pain don't touch me tired dirty FILTHY no touch me know you yes pleasure pain BEAST pain too much no eat no break tired please stop just stop tired pain pleasure FORBIDDEN I know you forgive crave no touch do I know you go away stay pleasure pain tired stop wait I know you touch me tired cant break no surrender please no break me stop stay tired

Pulling out the cloths Lexie began carefully wiping Loki's face. She wiped at the sweat along his hairline, above the bandage running around his head, around his neck. Her finger traced the faint lines that seemed to loop around his neck like bruises then noticed ever so faint ones down his arms to his wrists. She carefully cleaned his hands, between each long finger, careful going over his nailbeds. Something on one finger caught her eye and she brought his hand closer and tilted it in the light. A tiny nail was growing out. 

She set his hand gently down and studied him again. He had relaxed, his breathing had slowed, she thought it might even be a little too slow but it was steady and deeper than it had been. She lowered her head onto his chest to listen to his heartbeat. It too seemed unnaturally slow but then he was a god, who knew how fast their hearts were supposed to beat?

She felt something touch the top of her head and realized it was Loki's hand. He was touching her tentatively, his hand brushing at her hair, first rubbing it between his fingers before patting her head. Then he set his palm flat against her head and slowly flexed his fingers. She heard a faint noise deep inside him. She didn't know what it was, a groan, a growl or even a pain filled sigh. But he kept flexing his fingers and she let him.

Thor knocked on the door. He was dressed in his Midgardian clothes, blue jeans with a t shirt under a dark blue sweater. He kept his Asgardian boots on because Midgardian footwear seemed very small. And breakable. He had once more transformed Mjolnir into a harmless looking umbrella and now he shifted it restlessly in his hand.

The door opened and the Cape of Levitation looked out. Thor respectfully inclined his head. "Good day Most Honorable Clothing. I wish to speak with Mage Strange."

The Cape pondered this request then swept back to allow Thor to enter.

"Many thanks." Thor placed Mjolnir in the umbrella stand that appeared next to him and followed the Cape to the left and into what appeared to be a library with well used seating and tables with papers and books. As he looked around a tankard of beer appeared in his hand and he turned to find himself facing Strange. "We need to talk."

Strange gave a head nod and Thor was instantly seated in a comfortable arm chair before a massive fire place in what looked like the great hall in a stone castle. Strange sat across from him observing with interest, his fingers steepled in front of his face. Thor looked around and recognized that this looked like a modern Midgardian's belief of what a medieval castle looked like, complete with fur rugs and hanging banners.

Thor set his tankard on the low table next to him and ignored everything other than Strange. "I need you to release Loki's magic so that he may heal himself."

"No."

Thor glared, "Can you heal him? Give him his sight back?" He demanded.

Strange hesitated then conceded. "No."

"Then let him heal himself. If you release his magic he can do it in mere moments." Thor's frustration came out in his voice. "He needs to heal his body and regain his mind."

Strange studied Thor. "And if I were to release his magic, in his present mental state, what do you think he would do? A Mage of his power with no mental control? He's literally insane, he has no control over his thoughts."

Thor stood and began pacing while Strange continued to watch him. "Then release it gradually, enough to heal his eyes and keep his mind and body fed."

"Fed?"

Thor looked uncomfortable, as if discussing how Loki functioned was taboo. And it was. He knew Loki would hate Thor revealing any intimate information about himself. Loki hated the fact that Thor even knew anything about him, he would be absolutely hateful if he knew how much Thor actually did know. "He needs magic, he is magic." Thor glanced at Strange. "You have learned magic. Its a tool you use, yes its part of you but you use an object to focus your magic. Loki is the focus of his magic. He simply needs access to it. The amount you have allowed him is like breathing through a Midgardian straw. It can be done but it can't last and its damaging him. He needs more, he's starving for his magic."

Strange stood as well, hands behind his back he walked the length of the great hall. He took his time, stopping then starting again after a moments pause. When he came back to Thor he looked him in the eyes and said, "No. Its too dangerous."

Thor surged forward in anger and the Cape of Levitation whipped around Strange and was there in front of Thor, holding him back. "I will have my brother back!" He howled. Strange looked unruffled.

"Its too dangerous. I don't know what chaos he can do with even a small amount of power. You say he needs just enough to heal himself but how much is that? What else can he do with even that small, extra amount?" Strange finally looked at Thor with a trace of compassion, "I haven't forgotten that as of now he's our only known hope for information on Thanos. But with no way to control him I won't take-"

"Lexie." Thor looked stunned. "Lady Allexandria can control him. He wouldn't do anything around her to cause her harm. Including sending out random bursts of his magic."

"You don't know that."

"I do. He needs her."

Strange raised an eyebrow, "Explain."

"Loki will allow her to touch him. And even more, he'll follow her direction. Banner did a test and Loki did what she wanted even though he didn't want to."

Strange's expression was intense as he processed this new information. "This brings up the question if we even want a physically stronger Loki. If Lexie is near him he could hurt her. Even kill her."

Thor sensed Strange's possible acceptence and spoke eagerly, "his body will heal his worst injury first. Once his eyes are healed you can scale the amount of his magic back slightly. The rest of his body will heal slower. He won't have his strength back and can still be subdued if needed. But I don't think he would hurt Lady Allexandria. There's a bond there, I don't know why but it's there and she can use it."

"Show me." Thor's umbrella appeared in his hand and a portal in front of both men and they stepped through. They came out in the cell area and when they stopped it was in front of Loki's cell. Both men stared at the scene in front of them for a long moment then Strange said quietly, "all right. I'll do it."

Thor nodded and for the first time in what seemed like ages he smiled because of his brother.

Lexie was still laying on Loki's chest. He had an arm curved up and over her back, his hand on her head, his fingers gently intertwined in her long hair.

Lexie sat at the conference table while Tony and Thor stood around it looking at a security feed of Loki in his cell. He was alone, sitting up with his back against the wall. Wearing a black t shirt and simple drawstring black cotton pants he stood out in the white cell. One leg was extended the other folded under it, he had hardly moved in hours. Occasionally he had tilted his head as if to listen, the white bandage around his head contrasting sharply with his black hair.

Bruce spoke up, he had been standing off to the side biting his thumb, dark circles under his eyes and his hair sticking up in random spots giving away his lack of sleep. "There might still be something we can do about Loki." Most eyes shifted to him and he nodded to Strange, "there may be a way to have Loki heal himself."

Now all eyes looked to Strange who had been standing as far off as he could and still be considered part of the group. Tony called out to him, "care to join the class, Strange?"

Walking closer he caught Thor's eyes, "we think we can allow Loki greater access to his magic so that he can heal his vision. That should help stabilize his mental state." He gave a slight shrug, "which could make it easier for him to mentally recover."

"Could?" Tony looked at Strange hard, "but you don't know for certain?"

"No. But not being able to see is not helping him in the slightest."

"I'm not sure I want Loki sitting under my house with access to his magic, Strange. I kind of remember what he did to my last house when he was at full strength." Tony shook his head.

Thor looked at him with a frown, "he'll still have Mage Strange's restraints on him, he won't have full access."

"So will that amount still be enough to turn us into pumpkins? Frogs? Or kill us?"

"Did he use it before?" Everyone looked to Lexie. She had been sitting silent at one end of the table and hadn't said anything. In all the time the Avengers had been at the complex and she had joined them in the search for Loki she had never spoken once at a meeting. While living at Stark Tower she hadn't even been involved in their world. But now she spoke up. For the first time. Looking carefully at them she asked again, "when he came to earth did he use all of his magic fighting against you? It seems he used the army that Thanos provided him. If he's so powerful then why didn't he use his magic? He should have been able to defeat you or at least hurt you a lot worse than he did."

Thor looked at her appreciatively, "Lady Allexandria seems to know Loki's strategy. At home when he was in command of a battle he never used his magic. He only used it in defense of his troops or when he went to fight on the battlefield himself."

There was silence for a few seconds then Strange said, "Let's begin, I have other business to attend to. Lexie, join us."

"What? No." Tony put his hand on her shoulder and pressed down hard enough to keep her in her seat. "What do you think you're doing, Strange? She's not going down there with Looney Loki." Tony glared, he clearly had no intention of backing down.

Strange met Tony with his own hard look, "she's needed to keep Loki calm. Without her we don't do this and our chance of learning anything about Thanos slips farther away."

Tony seemed to be staring through Strange, as though he were seeing something far away. Finally his hand loosened on Lexie's shoulder and she stood up. No one was expecting him to turn to her and gave her a tight hug which she returned after a moment of surprise. When he let her go he looked at her and she thought he was almost teary eyed while he smiled wryly at her. "Be careful, okay, promise? Don't trust that little shit."

She gave a quick laugh, "okay, I'll be careful. Promise."

Tony followed her until he got to Strange where he grabbed his arm and despite the Cloak of Levitation's agitation he didn't let go as he fiercely whispered, "you fucking bastard."

Strange nodded once, "well. That makes two of us." 

Downstairs Thor opened Loki's cell and he and Strange stepped in first, while Lexie, Bruce and Tony waited outside. Loki's head tilted showing he had heard them but the only other sign was his fingers slowly grasping the sheets. 

"Loki? It's Thor, your brother."

There was no reaction yet Strange had the feeling that Loki had somehow changed in the short time since their last interaction. He wasn't sure what it was and his senses gave him no information. "Can you tell me how strong his magic is right now?"

Thor nodded and went over to Loki. Taking a deep breath but without hesitation he slowly reached out and roughly grasped Loki by the back of the neck with one hand and with his other he pressed his palm against Loki's chest, pinning him in place against the wall.

stop wait stop NO no stop no ODIN no break watcher touch FOUL FORBIDDEN no surrender no touch stupid loud stop get off pressure pressing breath I KNOW YOU push pleasure FORBIDDEN stop oaf no touch why FILTHY dark darkness bodies twisting black sands silence no touch leave me bodies twisting stop stop BEAST wait no wait wait searched found me found me go away pain pleasure FORBIDDEN no break no surrender stop pleasure no no no touch dark get off I don't know you anger touch release me find me darkness pleasure BEAST no get off no touching can't tired FORBIDDEN crave go away stop wait pleasure pain stop no stop get off wait wait stop so very tired let go let go no touching wait stop angry no TOUCHING me stop wait no no please get off stop wait I DONT KNOW YOU stop no touching get off idiot no break no

Thor's fingers flexed on the back of Loki's neck as Loki pulled at both the hand squeezing on the back of his neck and the one pressing into his chest. Distressed noises were struggling to escape from between his clenched lips. Finally Thor released him." It's there, it's all there but," he looked uncertain, "I don't know."

"Very well. Lets bring it up." Strange looked over his shoulder. "Lexie, come on it here."

Lexie had been watching, eyebrows drawn together, her lips pressed together tightly but she hadn't gone in even though she wanted to. She had wanted to slap Thor's hands off Loki as soon as she saw how distressed Loki became. He still couldn't handle his brothers touch. Now she placed her hand on the ID reader and pulled it open. Walking inside she heard Loki's harsh breathing and saw his hands making fists in the sheets on the bed. She stayed back near the door. "What now?"

Loki's head tilted, he recognized her voice, his body leaned forward. 

"Move closer to him, let's see how he reacts. Talk to him."

Tony hissed through his teeth but didn't say anything.

Lexie moved carefully yet confidently to the bed, "hey Loki, it's me, Lexie. How are you this morning?" She sat right next to him, folding her legs up under each other, putting a hand on his thigh. 

Tony hit the cell wall with a fist, "damn it, I said don't trust him."

Even Thor and Strange looked taken aback at her actions but they didn't say anything or move. 

stop no wait wait touch me I don't know you touching me pleasure why where darkness stay now TOUCH me stop grabbing squeezing pain pleasure bodies twisting BEAST bodies please stop black sands FORBIDDEN wait no no no I DONT KNOW YOU please find me wait stay keep me touch me pleasure where stop wait please stay where wait please I don't know you stop leaving tired don't wait wait I don't know you touch pleasure stay wait touch wait touch me

Loki had put his hand on top of Lexie's hand, his fingers curled around her and she felt the tremors in it. He swallowed several times and carefully licked at his dry lips. He looked even worse than he did when he first arrived. 

"Lexie, go ahead and remove his bandages." Strange directed.

She put her other hand on top of his and moved both hands along with his slowly up to his face. He moved his head back slightly but allowed her to put her hands on the bandages. She tugged at the end that was tucked in and he lowered his hand as she unwound the bandage. Carefully she removed the gauze from covering his eyes and threw everything in the plastic trash bin.

Loki struggled to open his eyes, there was dried blood on them and Strange spoke, "Here." Lexie looked over and he was handing her a wet cloth.

She again put her hand on his and let him feel the cloth then moved to his face where she gently wiped at his eyes until finally he was able to open them. Lexie took a deep breath and couldn't help looking away, they were just as damaged as before and Loki was just as blind.

Strange pulled up the magic of the restraints and the gold pattern of the faint spell glowed brighter. Loki's head turned down as if he were looking at his forearms, his hands ran over the glowing lines then faintly rubbed then scratched at them. Strange released the bindings slightly more, Loki held his arms out and flexed his hands and fingers. He scratched at the patterns and slowly shook his head then started scratching harder, even without nails the skin reddened. Lexie put her hand over the patterns to stop him and Loki actually hissed and pushed her hands away, they saw the scowl on his face. She put her hands on top of his and this time he didn't react, he just kept scratching.

"Thor, tell me if you can sense a difference in Loki's power." 

Thor took hold of Loki by the back of the neck and held him tight while once more pushing against his chest and Loki erupted. He brought his hands up to Thor's neck and started squeezing, he was trying to strangle him and while he was weak his emotions gave him strength. His face was furious. His blind eyes still conveyed his hate and rage.

Lexie grabbed Loki's hands, "let go, no Loki! Let go." She tried to pull Loki's hands free from Thor's throat.

stop MAGIC? no PAIN no magic! stop wait touch TOUCH both I know you I DONT KNOW YOU why? touch me both DARK pleasure FORBIDDEN get off trust no trust betrayed why no touch NO TOUCH ME no pleasure pain FORBIDDEN no touch pain pain no touch magic mine no no black sands twisting bodies falling FILTHY forbidden DONT TOUCH ME fool off get off me pain won't can't don't pain ODIN FORBIDDEN stop pleasure FOUL no touch no break no surrender stop touching ODIN FORBIDDEN stop stop leave it please don't don't touch magic pain no pleasure BEAST why I don't know you why both stupid oaf FORBIDDEN pleasure magic pain off off no magic stop it STOP no magic no pain no pleasure no magic stop stop no touching stop touching

Thor finally let go of Loki's neck and easily pulled Loki's hands from his throat, yanking him to his feet. Thor easily moved him away from the bed and slamming him back against the wall, growled out. "Damn it Loki! Stop it! We're just trying to help you. Stop always making everything so damn difficult!" 

Lexie tried to force herself between the two brothers, facing Thor she yelled at him, "you stop it! He's scared and he doesn't know what's going on. You're not helping." She had her back to Loki but a hand on his chest. One of his hands gripped it tightly while the other was held out defensively in front of himself.

stop NO NO more stop STOP wait grabbing I don't know you idiot pain pleasure FORBIDDEN both anger stop touching me no more no touch leave me BODIES TWISTING FILTHY BEAST coming BLACK SANDS wait please stop no touching stop why stop where DARK LEAVE me stop stop stop no touch ANGRY pleasure NO pain pain yes YES hurt hurts FORBIDDEN pleasure pain no touching stop I know you ODIN FORBIDDEN STOP FOUL FILTH NO TOUCHING NO SURRENDER NO BREAK NO BREAK STOP TOUCHING ME save me stop wait touch me hide me no wait stop more pain no touch stop wait more touch no more twisting bodies no more grabbing no more NO MORE touching stop touching no grabbing stop stop stop save me SAVE. ME. idontknowyou

Thor let go of Loki, moving away with a growl of frustration. Lexie started to turn to check on Loki just as he snaked one arm around her waist and yanked her back against his chest. All while his other arm brought his hand up to grip her throat, pulling her head back against the side of his face. His shoulders hunched over her, his breathing harsh. His hand moved down to rest at the bottom of her neck, pressing her back against him. His other hand spread out at her waist, his fingers wide as he struggled to keep his grip on her as she felt his muscles shudder in exhaustion. He leaned against the wall, its support the only thing keeping him on his feet.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. door!" and Tony was through it moving past both Strange and Thor. He was at Loki before anyone was really aware he was coming in. He pulled Lexie from Loki's grasp and violently shoved her into Thor's arms then attacked Loki. His first blow struck the blind god in the face, cracking his head against the wall and sending Loki towards the ground. Tony caught him by the throat before he fell and began sending blow after blow into his face. Loki raised his arms to protect his face and Tony took a boxers stance, sending rapid blow after blow into Loki's body.

Thor blindly pushed a fighting Lexie into Strange's arms as he turned to grab Tony with a yell of rage. By the time he had both arms around Tony and had lifted him off the ground, Tony had also gotten several kicks in on the sprawled god.

Bruce was now in the cell as well and he grabbed Tony from Thor and shoved him back. "Tony have you lost your mind?!"

Lexie was wrapped in both Strange's arms and in the Cape of Levitation, "Let me go! Let me go!" She had been fighting the both of them trying first to stop Tony and now she wanted nothing more than to check on Loki who was hidden by Thor's kneeling form.

Strange spoke calmly into her ear, "Let me go check on him. You have to stay here. The longer you fight me the longer I don't help him. Do you understand me?" She nodded but he didn't seem to believe her because when he let go and left her, the Cape stayed behind, wrapped tightly around her when she would have followed Strange.

Tony moved over to her and surrounded both her and the Cape in a tight embrace. She felt his whole body shaking as he took huge gulps of breaths. "Tony, what the hell was that?"

He pushed her back enough to look into her face, pushing her hair back from her face with bloody hands and she was stunned at the wild expression in his eyes, "it's my job to protect you. Lexie, he could have killed you. I let you come in here with him." He yanked her back into a fierce hug, "I'm so sorry." He whispered and Lexie slowly hugged him back.

She let out a deep sigh, saying quietly, "its not your job Tony. It never was." She dropped her arms and Tony was so shocked that she easily pushed him back and slipped out of his arms. The Cape of Levitation let her go past. She walked over to kneel next to Loki. 

Thor knelt at Loki's head and Strange was at his side so Lexie took a position by his knees and put her hand on his leg. He was so thin under the pants leg.

Thor watched as Strange ran his hands along Loki's ribs, Loki was unconscious, his face battered and bleeding. "Will you release his magic now, Mage?" Thor's voice was accusatory. "Or will you let him die?"

Strange looked at Thor then turned to Lexie, "You need to leave. I'm going to create a place where if something goes wrong the magic will be contained."

"No."

"Lexie."

"I'm staying and finishing this. Stop wasting time and get started." She was watching Loki's face, the blood slowly sliding down his face from a cut in his eyebrow and another at the bridge of his nose. His mouth was bloody. His eyes, his eyes were bleeding, the blood running out beneath the closed lids. He'd had no way to defend himself. Tony had actually attacked a blind man.

Strange threw up a tight, golden circle completely around the four of them drawn in thick, gold lines. Tony moved forward and struck it despite Bruce attempting to stop him. Other than a shock to his entire arm, there was no visible change.

Strange slowly released the bindings of the spell, the pattern lines grew brighter and began to lift from Loki's skin. The further from Loki's skin they rose the more Loki had access to his own magic. Finally the lines were bright and inches from Loki's skin, he had access to all his magic, even Strange should have been able to sense Loki's use. Nothing. 

"What's happening?" Lexie asked.

"Nothing. Which is, not good." Strange reached out and touched one of Loki's palms and drew a golden pattern, a green wisp as thin as a thread slowly came out. It seemed to rise from his palm till it was several inches in length then lay coiled there. When Strange reached out two fingers to take it, it moved away like a tendril of smoke. "Thor, reach down and grasp this then gently pull it out."

Thor's voice was an awed whisper, "is this Loki's magic?"

"Simplistic but yes. It doesn't know me, it should recognize you." Thor reached out with a huge hand and his fingers looked so large compared to the tiny wisp.

He was close to it when he suddenly stopped, "Does it bite?"

"What?" Strange sounded honestly confused.

"Bite? Loki, he, um, he doesn't always like me."

"Just put your hand down here." Strange ordered and they watched as Thor went to pluck the wisp between two fingers when it reached out and wrapped itself around his pointer finger. Strange raised an eyebrow. "Well. That makes it easier." Thor pulled his hand up and Loki's magic stretched several inches then let go and again curled about like smoke. Thor leaned back, a look of boyish amazement on his face. 

Lexie stared intensely, "if this is all of his magic, why is it so much thinner than yours?"

"This isn't all of his magic, this is nothing. Probably what flows through him without conscious thought, possibly even undetected. After all, he's been tortured for two years and shouldn't be alive. Something inside him has kept him alive." Strange studied the green coil moving gently. "Despite having access to more, this is all he's allowing to stream out." He shook his head. "That's, unnatural."

"So what now?" Thor asked worriedly.

"Now, we see what happens when a wisp of Asgardian magic meets the Sorcerer Supreme." He shrugged, "but first, we're dialing access back." He closed the restraints again, leaving them open only slightly more than before. The size of the green wisp didn't change. Strange sent a thick golden strand of his magic towards Loki's green, and when it tried to grasp it, there was an obvious and nearly instant reaction. 

Loki's magic leaned towards Strange's and they had a brief sight of it striking out to ensnare the golden strands. What Lexie and Thor were next aware of was being surrounded by a burning, cold, green, mist, then they were laying on the floor of the cell outside the golden circle. 

Strange had been thrown across the cell to slam into the wall, he shook his head then quickly began making motions towards the circle which was full of the green mist. He slowly rose, his clothes stiff with heavy ice, his hair, eyebrows and goatee had icicles that he rubbed at thoughtfully. His Cape shook itself free of the ice, sending chips to the floor.

Tony knelt beside Lexie and pulled her into his arms, she was covered in a dusting of frost but unhurt. Bruce was also there, rubbing her hands and examining her but other than the surprise of what happened and the cold, she was fine. Her body heat was already melting the delicate ice crystals.

Thor was getting to his feet, he had actual ice hanging off his clothes and frost on his body. He brushed the heavy ice off while rising and walking next to Strange. "What was that ?"

"That was your brothers magic." Strange glanced back over his shoulder at Lexie, she was still sitting on the floor in Tony's arms. She wasn't in shock, she just seemed stunned with her first real experience with magic. "One burst of magic, three different results. Interesting."

Tony moved Lexie into Bruce's care and stood, everything about his body language said he wanted to beat Strange like he beat Loki. His face was livid, his fists clenched so tight the muscles in his arms were shaking and jumping. Even in her state Lexie reached an arm out and wrapped it around one of Tony's legs. He didn't move.

The tension was broken then rebuilt by the sudden and violent movement of the mist. It began spinning, moving as though part of a storm. Loki walked out of it, pounded both fists on the sphere and screamed in a mad rage. Everyone took an involuntary step back and even Lexie leaned back with wide eyes. This was a Loki no one, not even Thor, had ever seen. Screaming, raging, wild and feral, trying to pound his anger out with his fists through the walls of this prison inside a prison. And now, his eyes were blazing with a bright, green, violent, madness.


	8. Chapter 8

Bruce, with Tony's help, had taken Lexie to the small medical area in the main lab to be warmed up, she hadn't even protested. They had worked in tense silence, Bruce glancing at Tony who only watched Lexie.

Strange and Thor had remained inside the cell watching Loki's rage quickly burn it's self out. His eyes had healed and he had lost the utter look of death but he was still too thin, his body could take months to fully recover without access to all of his magic. And Strange had made sure that Loki had lost that access almost as instantly as he had used it. The bindings had still been on him and as soon as he had exploded to his full power they had slammed back down into him, shutting the source to a trickle.

Loki had quickly sagged against the containment field, no longer striking it or screaming but the rage in his eyes as he followed their movements had been unnerving. Especially as he watched Bruce help Lexie out. His eyes locked on her until Tony had walked up, blocking his view. The two men stared into each others eyes, it was hard to tell which glare was more hate filled. As he watched the elevator doors close on them, Loki had slipped to his knees then fallen over. Now the green mist swirled lazily about three feet off the floor, just enough to hide his body from view.

Strange made a motion, the orange of the containment sphere faded and the green mist spread out slightly then stabilized in the same area. "Apparently you brother enjoys his privacy."

Thor stood with his arms folded, "When we were children Loki could go weeks without seeing another soul and be perfectly content."

Strange turned to look at Thor puzzled, "doing what?"

Thor shrugged, "I have no idea. Something utterly boring, I'm sure. Like reading." He turned to give Strange a smile then remembered all the books in the Sanctum when he saw the man's expression. "No offence intended."

Strange walked forward, sending the mist reluctantly backwards. Once Loki's body was revealed they both saw he was on his side, curled protectively in on himself, his fingers loosely resting in his hair at his temples, the bindings on his wrists glowing softly. Under his eyelids his eyes moved rapidly, his breathing shallow and fast.

Strange bent down and was about to touch Loki's temple when Thor spoke, "wait. What are you doing?"

"The least I can do, send him into a dreamless sleep."

"Don't. He wouldn't want you touching his mind."

"Not even for peaceful sleep?"

Thor snorted. "Loki's always had night terrors. Leave him be. He'll be fine. He always is."

Strange stood and looked at Thor with a blank expression until the god became uncomfortable, "what?"

Strange seemed about to speak then changed his mind with a shake of his head, "You need to understand that he's not going to be fine." Strange looked down at the god at their feet. "He'll never be fine again." 

Thor chuckled, "You don't know Loki."

Upstairs Tony tucked several warmed blankets around Lexie who was laying back against the bed. He pulled them up around her shoulders and head. Bruce tucked a heating pack into her hands, "Here, this will help." 

Lexie nodded and blinked several times as she stared at nothing. She may have been still but her brain was thinking too fast. What had just happened? Had she just been, magiced? Was that even a word? She was sure spell check wouldn't except it. And while she hadn't been covered in icicles, she had been frosted. Her inner voice poked at her. Frosted. Good lord, she'd been magically frosted.

Tony pulled Lexie's tennis shoes off and tucked the blankets around her feet. She was curled up, he patted her feet absentmindedly while looking at her thoughtfully. He seemed to pull himself back with a shake of his head while blinking hard several times. 

Moving close, in a whisper Bruce spoke, "Tony, talk to me. What's going on?"

"I hate Loki." Tony grinned, "think I should make bumper stickers?" 

"I meant with you and-" he pointed his finger down at Lexie.

Tony's grin dropped and he looked at Bruce with a scowl then shook his head, "not whatever you're thinking." His own voice dropped low.

Bruce sighed, "I don't know what to think, that's why I'm asking." He paused to stare at his friend.

Tony met Bruce's eyes for as long as he could then looked away when he could no longer bare to see the honest concern in them. "Damn it, Jolly Green, no confessions on an empty stomach." Tony looked down at Lexie, "how's she doing?"

Bruce looked at Tony thoughtfully, he intended to get answers but was willing to let Tony deflect for the moment. "She'll be fine."

Through her chattering Lexie got out, "she's also awake, you know."

Tony grabbed a chair so he could sit down at her eye level and pushed her hair back from her face, "atta girl. Glad you are coming back to us. But later you and I are going to sit down and have a serious conversation over the definition of the word careful."

"I was careful. Stupid Thor shouldn't have overreacted."

Tony didn't look convinced. "Yeah well your brain must still be frozen if that's how you remember it. Now, I remember you trying to protect Loki and he grabbed you by the throat. He could have killed you. Trust me, as someone who has had the privilege of being grabbed by that asshole, it's dangerous."

Lexie gave a shaky smile, "I wasn't in danger. No windows down there."

Tony gave her a shocked look with a hand on his chest, "are you mocking me? You are. You're mocking me" He shook his head. "Fine, I know when I'm not needed, I'll just go microwave some hot pockets or frozen pizza bites." He gave her back a couple pats then said gently, "get some sleep. I'll be back to check on ya later. Might even bring ya a pizza bite."

"Just one?"

"Don't get greedy on me." Tony turned and headed out the door.

Bruce gave Lexie a soft smile, "I'll bright back, try and get some sleep. As soon as you're ready we'll get you to your apartment, okay?" Lexie nodded, her eyes closed. Bruce followed Tony out the door and caught him waiting for the elevator, "Tony, wait." It wasn't a request.

Tony didn't turn around but he started shaking his head, "Not now Bruce."

"Yes Tony. Now." The elevator doors opened and Tony stepped in but Bruce was right after him.

Tony glared, "Lexie shouldn't be left alone." The doors shut.

"Then come back to the lab or stand in the hall where we can see her. F.R.I.D.A.Y., stop the elevator." They came to a stop.

"No. F.R.I.D.A.Y., my floor." The elevator started again.

"What in the hell was that downstairs with Loki? He's blind, Tony!" Bruce's voice rose. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., stop." The elevator came to an abrupt stop.

"You think I don't know that?!" Tony bitterly shouted at Bruce, he made his hands into fists and suddenly hissed in pain. He stared down at the knuckles on his right hand, they were cut and had bled. Tony stepped back till he hit the wall and sank to a crouch. His voice was full of self hate. "You asked what was going on with me and Lexie?" Tony ran hands through his hair, sending it even in more wild directions. "you know how we met?"

Bruce nodded, "someone thought they could kidnap you."

"And she thought she could protect my stupid, drunk ass when I was arrogant enough to leave J.A.R.V.I.S. at home because I was done with the superhero gig. You know that whole part. What you don't know is that they made her pay for helping me." His hands pressed into his chest, "And I had to watch that. And thanks to her stupid heroics, there wasn't a damn thing I could do to stop it." Tony's hands came up to his face, his palms pressed into his eyes while he bent over for several seconds before he stood up then dropped his hands to glare at Bruce's stunned face. Tony's voice was low, dangerous, "I watched helpless and I swore I would never stand by while anything happened to her again. So when Loki put his hands on her, I failed all over again." His eyes were intense, "So yes, I attacked Loki. I'd do it again. And again. And again."

Bruce swallowed then took a shaky breath before saying into the stretching silence, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., go to Tony's floor." When the elevator doors opened Tony got out and walked into his apartment. He turned around and stared at Bruce until the elevator doors closed. 

Barn Door Protocol was lifted by Tony the next morning and F.R.I.D.A.Y. made arrangements for a cleaning company to be contracted and flown in from outside the country to begin work. A cell signal jammer made sure that along with no phone calls, no photos or videos would be taken within a mile radius of the complex. Even with S.H.I.E.L.D. in shambles there were still government agencies available to contact to get rid of the burnt out vehicles and the dead bodies that had been left out in the parking lot.

There were Iron Legion suits to pick up and repair, perfect for putting in the garage and providing a reason for Tony not to come out. He answered all calls and was willing to talk but he refused to look up from his work or come back to the house. He appeared to be intensely focused, in one of his thinking phases.

Lexie had gone to her apartment after she had warmed and woken up. Bruce had been in the lab, sitting at his desk with a hand on his chin staring off into the distance. With everything that she had remembered last happening Lexie took his subdued personality as the result of that. She had later tried to go down to Loki's cell only to be told by F.R.I.D.A.Y. that Tony had refused to allow the elevator to take her there.

Lexie walked across the parking lot and through the garage doors. She scanned the massive building till she saw where Tony was standing in front of a workbench full of random parts. "Tony!" She was angry and it showed in her walk as she crossed over to him.

"Yep." Tony didn't look up as he used a rag to clean scorch marks off the helmet of Tubby, one of his Iron Legion. Wearing jeans and a faded blue t shirt, his hair was sticking up all over. He didn't look away from his work.

"You told F.R.I.D.A.Y. to not let see Loki? Not to let me go to that level?"

"Yep."

"Tony."

"That's my name. You're wearin' it out." Lexie stopped next to him and crossed her arms. She was about to open her mouth when he went on, "and don't even pretend like you're about to ask me why or I'll have Bruce check you for a head injury."

"But-"

"Nope. Not gonna happen, kid."

Lexie raised an eyebrow. "You did not just call me a kid. I am so not a kid."

"Fine. Not gonna happen, adult female." Tony gave Tubby's helmet a breath and shined it up then set it on the table.

Lexie stared at Tony then frowned as she watched him work. He said nothing. "How come it's so quiet in here? You always have your music blasting."

"I've got those crews out there, just keeping an ear out for them." Tony walked around, cleaning up tools and closing them away into custom cases. He moved smoothly and without any hurry but he never stopped moving and it had a rigid quality to it. His hands we never still. His body had an energy radiating from it that seemed to make every limb need to move.

"You haven't looked at me once."

"Kinda busy fixing my toys, they got busted saving your ass, remember?"

Lexie frowned and looked taken aback, Tony had never said anything like that to her before, he'd never had this attitude with her. "What's wrong?" 

Now he turned on her. Furious. He pounced, pointing a finger in her face he growled, "What's wrong? Are you stupid? You put your life in danger, that's what's wrong!" He twisted away. "You're not an Avenger. You're not one of us." He threw his hands in the air and spun around, pacing. "You shouldn't be involved in this, I was wrong to let you get anywhere near us." He was no longer talking to Lexie but rather to himself, "I should have set you up in an apartment somewhere and left you alone. This is my fault. So stupid. Arrogant." The word was pushed out in a deep groan while he fisted his hands. "I thought I could keep you safe. Keep you separate from all this." He waved his arms to encompass everything around him. "And now look. You're in this bullshit deeper than any of us." He had paced the length of the workbench from her and now turned to face her with an agonized expression. But it didn't totally wipe out his anger.

Lexie was staring at him, wide eyed, his words hurt and she hadn't been prepared for them from him so her emotions were on her face. She saw the second when the realization hit him and she blanked her face. Her voice only slightly wavered, "I never meant to make you feel like I was your responsibility to protect. I keep telling you I don't need your protection, I don't know what else to say to you. It was just one moment. I never even thought about it. I just did it."

Tony swallowed and looked away, he looked guilty. "You have no idea how much I owe you-"

"You don't owe me anything." Her voice rose. "Stop saying that. You have no idea how it makes me feel to have you keep saying that over and over. Like I'm some stray you took in because you felt sorry for." Tony was shaking his head, now he looked devastated. Lexie took a shaky breath, "I can always leave. It's not-"

"No!" Tony took a step closer, his voice harsh. He actually held his hands out to her. "No, don't leave. I don't want you to leave. Please." He took several breaths, forcing himself to calm down. He turned to the bench and picked up a random part and clenched it in his fist. "I, we need to talk more, just, not right now. But you can't leave, just don't leave. No matter what happens don't leave. If you feel you can't, trust, me, then go to Strange." Lexie frowned, now she had no idea what he was talking about. Tony knew he was not making sense, at least to Lexie though he knew he was making perfect sense. Plus he was not calming down, everything was going to shit and he was losing control. He threw the part across the garage then violently scattered the rest of the pieces off the work bench onto the floor. Lexie took a step back at the violence but refused to let fear show on her face. Tony threw his arms up, holding them out rigidly, his eyes locked into Lexie's eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I just can't right now." His Iron Man suit pieces flew to him, snapping into place and he was flying out the double doors seconds later. 

It happen so fast it took Lexie a moment to recover. She ran after him, watching him disappear into the blue sky. She had no idea what was going on with him that would cause such a violent reaction. It obviously had something to do with her and how she met him. She could understand his feeling of debt towards her but he had paid it many times over as far as she was concerned. A home and a job had more than replaced what she had lost. She had never wanted to be an Avenger. She would admit that this last year had brought her closer to all of them and filled a need in her but she would never have the relationship with them that they had with each other. She knew she was an outsider.

Lexie took several deep breaths, trying to steady her emotions. Tony was gone and there was nothing she could do for him. And there was still the reason she had come out to him. On to plan B. She walked across the parking lot past the crew and into the residentence. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. where is Thor?"

"He's in the holding cell area."

"Thank you." Walking down the hall to Bruce's lab she wiped her hands on her jeans. Biting her bottom lip she peeked through the window, he was still sitting in the same chair, wearing the same clothes as when she had left him last night. She knew he had gotten up sometime because there were several more empty coffee cups and water bottles on the desk than there had been the night before. 

When she came in he glanced over to her and tiredly smiled, she thought he may have looked uncomfortable or even guilty about something for a short second but it could have just been his normal expression. "Hey, Lexie." He had been slouched down in the chair, now he pushed himself upright.

"Hey Bruce." She grabbed a chair and rolled it over to him. "Thanks again for taking care of me last night. It was crazy."

"I think it was just the shock more than the cold. You weren't exactly expecting it." Bruce did a double take at her, "something happen?"

Lexie shrugged with weary smile, "just an emotional conversation with Tony. But then is there really any other kind?"

Bruce shifted in his seat, "how much of an asshole was he?"

"A little above average but he seems to be pretty stressed about last night so I'm going to let it slide. For now." Now her smile was a little more real.

Bruce nodded, "he was freaked out, that's for sure. He care's about you."

Lexie shook her head. "he feels obligated and responsible for me. That's different. But," she held up a hand to stop Bruce from disagreeing with her, "I came to ask if you'd seen Loki this morning."

Bruce looked at her and now his uncomfortableness was obvious. "uhh, I haven't gone to see him yet. " He ran a hand through his curls, "I'm not really, sure what I can do for him. At least long term. His care is more up to Strange."

"You took care of me."

He shrugged, "I can handle basic care, even emergency triage. I can do disease. But Loki is way beyond me, forget mentally recovering, he's gonna need specialized care if he's going to physically recover. His body is a wreck."

Lexie frowned, "but his magic healed him."

Bruce shrugged, "maybe. His eyes anyway. I didn't really get a chance to see how he looked physically. I was pretty freaked out just by his crazy tantrum. But he was on his feet after that beat down Tony gave him so he had to have healed more than just his eyes."

Lexie nodded while frowning. "Well, how about we go take a look and see if you're right?"

Bruce gave her a knowing smile with a soft chuckle, "okay, sounds like a plan."

They walked into the elevator, Bruce saying, "cell level."

F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice spoke, "Doctor Banner you know what the boss told you this morning."

Bruce smirked as he looked at Lexie's rapidly reddening face, "I know, but she did such a great job trying to be subtle. Besides, I have override authority, don't I?"

"Yes you do."

The elevator went in motion, dropping down.

"Thank you." Lexie said, her voice serious.

Bruce nodded, "I actually agree with Tony. I don't like you being around Loki. My experience with him is that he's never been too mentally stable anyway. I wouldn't bring you to him except I want to know how he reacts to you."

"Thank god for science."

Bruce looked uncomfortable and didn't say anything.

Thor stood in front of Loki's cell staring at the green mist as it slowly shifted, covering Loki's body by inches. He knew his brother was expending magic with this covering and wished he wouldn't but wondered if Loki even knew he was doing it at this point. Loki had several defense mechanisms that the god had spelled into himself as protection for various scenarios. It was his subconscious that chose which one to use which had led to some rather painful and embarrassing encounters for those who thought to sneak up on the trickster. But this mist was one Thor had never seen. 

The elevator opened and Thor looked back over his shoulder and smiled. "Doctor Banner, Lady Allexandria."

"Thor." Bruce came to stand next to the wall then knelt down to try and see Loki. Even though the mist seemed to be thinning in certain parts as it slowly twirled it never revealed any of Loki. 

Lexie stood next to Thor and he put his arm around her, "how do you feel this morning?"

"Fine, no lasting harm done." She looked up at him while leaning into his hug, "how about you?"

Thor nodded, "I am well. Though I must apologize for what happened to you. I must believe that Loki would never intentionally bring harm to you." He gave a cocky smile, "now as for me, he most certainly would have enjoyed seeing me landing on my backside. There's no greater pleasure for him. Unless its stabbing me. I think that's his favorite expression of irritation with me."

Lexie gave Thor a sideways glance, "I think stabbing someone is more that expressing irritation."

Thor looked at her with honest puzzlement, "but he always uses such a little knife. If he truly meant me harm he could conjure a dagger that would run me through."

Bruce turned to look up at Thor with a concerned expression, "lets not forget he dropped you out of a helicarrier at thirty thousand feet and nearly did kill you."

"Well, yes, but we now know that he wasn't in his right mind." He shrugged, "besides, I didn't die. So all is well."

Bruce stood up, "you got some serious family issues, friend."

Thor nodded, "yes, but he's my little brother and I love him" He thought to their younger years, "I've not always treated him as I should or protected him when I could have." Thor shook his head to clear his thoughts and gave a forced smile, "but now I have the chance to make things aright with him." 

Bruce looked at where Loki lay, "so he's just going to lay there hidden in this green cloud?"

"I don't know what it is, but Loki should be healing now. He has access to his magic. As long as he's not diverting too much of it elsewhere then he should be healing enough to take care of himself."

"I don't know, Thor. He looks really bad. What's the maximum an Asgardian god can go without eating?" Bruce watched an uneasy expression cross Thor's face as he stood on his toes and rocked back and forth but didn't answer. "Thor?"

"I, don't know, um, exactly how long Loki could go without eating. He, was once captured in battle and went several weeks however he was but a youth and wasn't tortured." Thor looked to Bruce, "how long do you think he has gone without?"

Bruce shrugged, "I honestly can't tell you. Earth has a recent history captured in photos of people being starved, he's not quite at that stage but," he shrugged. "I'm not a nutritionist, but magic healing or not, he's emaciated. He needs a specialized diet and care."

"I can do that." Both men looked to her, "I can make sure he eats properly and I can help take care of him." She glanced into the cell, "as long as I can find him." Her lips gave a quick uplift. 

Thor slightly scowled for a moment, " I do have to return to Asgard and inform our father of what's occurred."

"He's not going to force Loki to return, is he?" Lexie frowned, her voice worried. Bruce studied her.

"I will tell him it's best Loki's remains here, that his information about Thanos is needed here in Midgard, not in Asgard. You promise to tend him?" Thor asked her then seemed to remember to look to Bruce and include him in the request as well.

"Of course." She answered and Bruce nodded.

"Thank you. If you have need of me or need to get a message to me then you can call to Heimdall and speak a message. He will give it to me."

Bruce muttered, "yeah, that's not creepy."

"We will," Lexie said with a sharp glance at Bruce, "take care and come back as soon as you can." She gave Thor a tight hug then he and Bruce clasped hands.

"I will and you take care as well my friends."

Tony rocketed straight up. It did nothing for his frustration and anger nor did it calm his anxiety or his racing thoughts. He felt like he was going to burst into flames while at the same time he could see his vision darkening at the edges. He went faster. Twisting and turning he tried to focus on the G-forces he was putting his body through. He had his 70's classic rock blasting but it wasn't working, he could still think.

He kept hearing his words to Lexie and seeing her face, knowing that she had done nothing, absolutely nothing to deserve what he had said. Knowing that she didn't even really know what he was talking about and that was his source of guilt. Hell, it wasn't even Loki's fault. The god was just a handy punching bag to take that guilt out on. 

"Boss, you're reaching maximum altitude and speed."

Tony went horizontal, pushing his speed till he saw red lines everywhere. He spun until he didn't know which way was up. Coming out of the last spin he pushed the suit faster, harder. Suddenly he was aimed back towards the ground, actually gaining speed as he got closer to gravities pull. Alarms went off and the blackness around the edges became spots. 

If he could just figure out a way to get his mind to shut up long enough for him to work out a plan to solve the problem. He just needed some quiet in his head.

He started to make out the ground below, he was along a coast that looked very much like India. He kept heading straight down, fascinated as he was able to start to make out land features, mountains and rivers, browns and greens. Fields divided into crops-

"Boss you need to begin slowing or turn right now." F.R.I.D.A.Y.S.'s voice was an order. "Boss!"

Tony could actually see roads and villages now. His mind was calm. Finally not single thought seemed to be floating around in it. He didn't bother closing his eyes or taking a deep breath, he wasn't-

The Iron Man suit twisted and went horizontal a split second too late. It tumbled through the tree tops then fields for nearly a mile and Tony was unconscious when he finally came tumbling to a violent stop in a strip of dirt next to a field. 

F.R.I.D.A.Y. checked his vitals, nothing fatal, and gave him a burst of ammonia to wake him up. 

Tony shook his head, an instant headache springing to life in his head and pretty much throughout his whole body. He didn't move, he simply tried to remember what he was doing. Finally he asked in a dazed voice, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., what the hell happened? Why did I turn? I didn't turn." There was no answer. "F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"Protocol nine thirteen was activated."

Tony frowned, his eyes fluttered and he licked his lips. He could feel something warm running from one eyebrow into his hairline. He felt like he'd gone rounds with Hulk and seriously lost. Despite his head feeling like it should be sitting on his workbench waiting for repairs, he scrambled through his mind searching. "I don't have a Protocol nine thirteen. What is it?" Again there was silence."I swear, F.R.I.D.A.Y. you're like having a girlfriend without the benefits. What is Protocol nine thirteen?"

"It's a suicide prevention protocol."

Tony cocked his head sideways in shock then grimaced, clenching his eyes closed and biting his bottom lip as nausea rolled through him. "What does- Who created it? And just answer me, damn it."

"J.A.R.V.I.S."

"Bullshit. He couldn't have, not without my permission." He swallowed convulsively, he was feeling worse and worse, the line between mental and physical pain blurring. "and I damn sure didn't give him permission for taking over my suit like that. There was nothing wrong."

"Boss, I was looking for someway to stop you. The Protocol kicked in the instant I did, I didn't activate it. It's an old one, buried deep and hidden in maintenance code for sanitizing the interior of the suit."

Tony gave a bitter laugh, "how many time have I done something suicidal and haven't been stopped? I would think flying a nuke into outer space would qualify as suicidal."

F.R.I.D.A.Y.s voice was gentle, "not a suicide mission, Boss. Suicide."

Tony closed his eyes, then suddenly he couldn't breathe. The suit wasn't comforting and protecting him, it was suffocating him. "Open, open." He managed to gasp out and the face shield retracted and he was able to painfully roll over in time to vomit into the dirt. He didn't know how long he sat hunched over on his knees, face down, dry heaving, holding himself up on shaking arms.

Gradually he became aware of sounds and raised his head. A small herd of goats surrounded him, nibbling on the surrounding plants while walking past him with a glance and a sniff but no fear. A bell on one goats neck was making a ringing sound that mixed with the goats calling to each other. 

He tried getting to his feet but couldn't. His arms wouldn't push him up and his legs wouldn't hold him. He kept falling back over. Finally he rolled to his knees, shoulders hunched over, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. help me up." His voice was subdued. The servos brought the suit to its feet, "take me home." The suit slowly lifted from the ground, the face shield closed, the goats moved away for a moment then went back to eating.

Once he was in the air his head fell forward in the suit and his eyes closed. F.R.I.D.A.Y. monitored his vitals all the way across the Atlantic, they were stable yet he was injured and he needed medical care immediately. She also knew he wouldn't appreciate being taken to any hospital so she made a plan that followed his orders of taking him home without actually taking him to the Avengers complex.

The Iron Man suit landed on the party deck of Stark Towers and walked in. Several Iron Legion suits flew close then went back to their observation posts around the Tower. They had created their own no-fly zone around the Tower and would keep it in place until Tony or F.R.I.D.A.Y. recalled them. The suit stopped and seemed to be waiting for something.

Vision rose through the floor as Wanda exited the elevator, both focused on their visitor. They stopped in front of the suit just as the visor snapped up and Wanda gave a sharp gasp as a hand covered her mouth.

Tony's head was lolled forward, he wasn't unconscious any longer but close. He raised his head, confusion all over his face as he tried to focus on what was in front of him, it was difficult with one eye blackened and nearly swollen shut. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. where am I?"

"Stark towers sir."

Tony scowled, "not home."

"Sorry Boss. You never said which one."

Vision was looking at Tony's face, the blood and bruises but mainly his eyes. The uneven pupil size, his struggle to keep his eyes open, "Mister Stark you have a concussion. I would suggest you exit your suit for medical care."

Tony tried to look at Vision but his eyes just wouldn't focus, his head felt heavy, he had a pounding behind his eyes and he simply wanted to sleep so he let his eyes close. He heard the voice though, he knew that voice. He finally felt safe. He knew he could sleep, just let go. "J.A.R.V.I.S." He whispered. "I've missed you, buddy." The suit opened and he took one step before falling into Vision's arms.

Vision caught him and looked to Wanda with a pained expression. He gathered Tony in his arms and carried him to the elevator to go to the medical area. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. could you please ask Dr. Strange if he would attend to Mister Stark's medical needs."

"Of course."

Lexie was sitting on the couch using her phone to research a diet she could make for Loki. She was pretty sure she was going to just start with a beef bone broth. He hadn't been able to keep down the rich chicken soup, a beef bone broth would probably be a better choice. She had her music playing softly in the background, fifties and sixties crooners because it was music she could hum or sing along to without even thinking about the words and it wasn't distracting at all.

Bruce came into the common area from his lab where he had been studying preliminary results from a vial of blood they had taken from Loki when he arrived. Thor had been surprised they had gotten a needle to pierce Loki's skin, apparently that shouldn't have been easy. The blood was having sequencing done on it and Bruce was excited at the entirely new field opening up right in front of him.

He heard Lexie humming to herself and smiled, it had been a while since he had heard her enjoying her music. The smile faded slightly when he thought that it might be Loki who had something to do with her improved mood. He knew she had been slightly lost and aimless since moving out here, there really wasn't as much for her to do as there had been in the city. Searching for Loki had given her a small purpose but now that he was actually here and virtually helpless, all her best qualities had been kicked into overdrive and were focused on him.

Bruce cleared his throat as he walked over to sit on the couch, "finding anything?"

Lexie grimaced slightly, "yes and no." She looked up, "there's a few basics that would probably be good to start out, he could keep down, broths and the like. But I have a feeling that the problem is bigger than the fact that he hasn't just eaten in too long." She bit her bottom lip, "I think he was tortured with eating something. And now he doesn't want to eat." 

Bruce nodded, "I noticed that avoidance too. He's starving but he wouldn't eat. That's something else we're going to have to overcome." Bruce closed his eyes and sank his head back on the couch, "we're in way over our heads."

"There's no one to ask for help." It came out as a kind of question even though she was certain of the answer.

"No, no there isn't. No one can know he's here, especially now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is in shambles. If word got out that he was here, we'd have more than Hydra knocking on the door. And they wouldn't care if he was a ball of crazy or not." 

"Doctor Banner, there's a phone call from Doctor Strange in the conference room."

Bruce frowned at F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s message, usually Strange would just be put through on the speaker. "Thanks." He went to the semi privacy of the room and picked up the flashing line, "Strange? What's wrong?"

The man spoke with all the confidence of a surgeon speaking to a first year resident. "You need to come to Stark Towers now, don't tell Lexie why. Stark needs some minor surgery and I need you to assist me. There should be a helicopter landing in about ten minutes. Do you understand?"

Bruce's hands convulsed tightly on the phone, "no, no I don't understand. What happened? What king of minor surgery?" Bruce whispered franticly while keeping an eye on the back of Lexie's head. His free hand was already tugging at his shirt.

"Minor. You don't have time for me to explain if you want to lie to Lexie and still grab some clothes for an overnight stay. Unless you still have clothes here?"

"What? No, yes, I don't know if I have clothes there, probably. What do I tell her? You know I'm terrible at lies."

There was the sound of Strange sighing. "Fine. Tell her Stark needs you to look something over and you'll be back in the morning. You have seven PhDs, Bruce. Surely you're capable of telling one woman a convincing lie."

"Strange? Stephen?"

F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice came through the phone line. "He disconnected Doctor. Would you like me to try to call him back?"

"No, no that's okay." Bruce hung up the phone and made his way over to Lexie. Licking his lips he shoved both hands into his back jean pockets and shuffled on his feet. "Hey, I need to make an overnight to Stark Towers and check on something Tony's got going on, okay?"

Lexie studied Bruce. He was obviously lying. "What happened? Is Tony okay?"

Bruce crumbled. "I don't know. Strange didn't seem to think it was too bad, he called it minor. Maybe an anxiety attack." 

Lexie got up and gave Bruce a tight hug and they both heard the sound of a helicopter coming closer. She gave him a sideways look, "so I guess that means I'll have to have access to Loki."

An expression of misgiving instantly flooded his face, "I don't know. He should be fine till I get back."

"Didn't we just have several conversations about Loki needing intensive care? How is he supposed to get that waiting for you to come back? When I bet you don't even know when that's going to be."

Bruce closed his eyes, his whole face clenched and he looked in pain. "Lexie, seriously, you're too trusting. And too willing to put yourself in danger to help others."

All humor disappeared off Lexie's face. She swallowed then hardened her face, "what did he tell you?"

Bruce shook his head while looking her in the eyes, "just that you got hurt helping him. No details." He gave her a gentle smile, "he said that was your story to tell." He shook his head and spoke reluctantly, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., clear access to Loki's cell for Lexie. But you keep an eye on him."

"Will do Doctor."

Lexie watched Bruce leave in the helicopter, she waved as he disappeared over the tree tops then turned and went straight down to Loki's cell. She watched the green mist as it hardly moved, keeping the same height off the floor and close to the edge of the wall where Loki had ended up falling. She leaned against the wall looking down but she saw nothing, not even a shoulder or a foot belonging to Loki.

She palmed the ID scanner and went to open the door but it stayed locked, "are you sure you with to enter alone, Lexie?"

"I'm going to have to sooner or later. I might as well find out what I'm dealing with. Besides, you'll be keeping an eye out for me, right?"

Lexie heard the lock pop and she pulled the door open. Stepping inside the door closed quietly behind her though the locking sounded loud. She was less than five feet from where she knew Loki lay but there was no difference in the mist until she took several steps closer. Then it seemed to become aware of her, gathering on itself. Growing thicker, tighter and taller. Like a tornado it rose from the floor, twisting, agitated until it began dissipating till finally Loki was revealed. 

Unlike the last time Lexie saw him he wasn't in an insane rage. His eyes were a changing blue green as they darted over her face and body, seeming to study her. His breathing was quick but controlled. He moved his eyes around the cell, turning his head, taking in the one white wall, bare furniture bolted to the floor and the three clear walls. His eyes flinched, hands fisted and he swallowed. He seemed to understand he was in a cell.

Lexie shifted on her feet and his eyes pinned her in place, they had lost the blue in them. She licked her lips, his eyes dropped to her mouth. With painful slowness she started to move one foot backwards and his eyes dropped to her foot so she froze. His eyes moved back up to meet hers and his head slightly tilted though there was a certain expressionlessness in them that was freaking her out. He was like a green eyed snake and she could see her self as a fat little mouse that had been stupid enough to think F.R.I.D.A.Y. being able to keep her physically safe was enough.

"Okay, okay. Not a single word F.R.I.D.A.Y. Dumb idea. Stupid actually. So lets see if we can have a do over."

She took a solid step back and Loki leaned forward, he was tall enough that he might as well have taken a step towards her. She took another step back and this time he matched her, long legs more than making up her two steps. Now she was looking up at him, his arms bent at the elbow, his fingers flexed slowly as he seemed to be reaching for her.

Lexie raised her hands up, palms out and he looked down at them. A frown slowly came over his face as though he were trying to puzzle out the meaning of this gesture. He continued to reach for her. "Stop." Her voice was a firm whisper.

Loki's eyes widened. His body leaned slightly back from her. She saw his nostrils flair, his pupils dilate, but he stopped reaching for her though his fingers began flexing more, grasping the air. He opened his mouth several times, she saw his throat move as he went to speak but nothing came out. He looked confused, frustrated and Lexie could see his eyes darting around as if he were searching for something. With a deep growl he snapped his eyes shut and made fists that he brought to the sides of his head.

Lexie took this opportunity to back up to the door. Loki open his eyes and stalked after her. His arms raised and his hands came up towards her head, his eyes now glinting with frustration. She didn't open the door, she didn't want him free, bad enough she was in here.

Loki's fists opened and he slowly put his palms against the walls on either side of her head. His long arms keeping him distant enough for them to be eye to eye as he hunched down. He licked his lips and opened his mouth and struggled to get the words out, "do, you, do I." He swallowed, shaking his head, blinking hard several times, his eyes searching her face. He groaned out, "do I know you?"

Bruce exited the helicopter and met Wanda as he came in from the party deck. "hey Wanda." He gave her a tight hug. "How did you guys do here? I'm sorry I didn't call to check on you."

She squeezed him back then led him towards the elevator, "it's okay Bruce. I understand from F.R.I.D.A.Y. you guys had it worse than us. Vison and I were able to keep everyone below the private floors and the Legion kept everyone else out."

They came out on the medical floor which Tony had made sure was state of the art so in case any of the team ever needed care they wouldn't have to go to an outside hospital. Strange had agreed to provide their emergency care if it was in his ability which due to his ego pretty much covered all their needs. In the back of the floor were two full size surgical suites with glass walls, outside on the floor were six beds though they rarely needed all of them at once.

As they were about to go through the doors Wanda gave a tug on Bruce's arm. When he looked at her she appeared concerned, "He thought Vision was J.A.R.V.I.S."

Bruce's brow furrowed, "that's impossible." Wanda shrugged.

Once through the doors Bruce heard the beeping of a heart monitor and felt a lurch of his own heart. That sound wasn't good. Why would Tony need to be connected to a heart monitor? Strange and Vision were standing next to a bed the farthest away and Bruce walked over.

Vision spoke first, "Doctor Banner."

"Vision." Bruce found himself walking around to stand next to Tony and looking down at his friends battered face. "What happened?"

Tony opened the least black of his eyes and gave a loopy smile, "India."

Bruce looked from Tony to everyone else, "what? Who's India? Did you get into a fight, Tony? Why didn't you call for back up?"

Tony closed his eye again, "country." He gave a chuckle then winced and put a hand over his ribs. He wearing a hospital gown, had an IV running into an arm and Strange was looking at a computer screen.

Now Bruce was getting agitated, "what are you talking about, Tony? Who is India?"

Vision spoke, "Doctor, it seems that Mister Stark hit the country of India."

Now Bruce was speechless, he looked at Tony then Vision then Strange and back to Tony. He quietly asked, "Suit failure?"

Strange spoke adamantly, "Oh no. This was no failure. It was intentional."

"J.A.R.V.I.S. saved me." Tony opened his good eye. Bruce leaned down to stare into it then reached over and pried open his swollen eye and looked at that pupil size before Tony slapped his hand away, "damn it Bruce. You're gonna make me look like Fury."

"You've got a concussion, you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Be that as it may," Strange gave a head nod, "I'm going to need both of you to scrub up for me. He's got some internal bleeding that needs to be stopped and we've waited long enough. So lets get busy."

Lexie stared into Loki's eyes. They were demanding the answer to his question. Now that he had gotten the words out. Except she didn't know how to answer him. Did he mean did she know of him? Or did he want to know if they had ever met before? She slowly licked dry lips and he watched her tongue. When she bit her bottom lip in worry he watched that too.

She wasn't answering him. He growled, demanding, "do I know you?"

She shook her head, whispering, "no." He frowned and she cleared her throat, speaking up. "No. No you don't."

He leaned forward, close enough she could see flecks in his eyes as they intensely looked over her face as if trying to see under her skin. "I don't know you?" His voice was low, uncertain.

"No, you don't know me."

"I don't know you." He spoke the words now, as if to himself, a tense stillness about his shoulders. He stared past Lexie, as if trying to decide if she was telling the truth. Then his eyes moved back to her and travelled from her face down her body then back up again. "I don't know you." He sounded slightly questioning, as if expecting a trick. He looked at her sideways, head tilted forward.

She shook her head and tried to sound confident, "No, Loki, you don't know me." Saying his name got no recognition in his features but he did lean his head back to look down at her chest.

She was wearing a dark purple v neck t shirt and glancing down at herself wondered how much he could see down her shirt from his height. But he didn't have a smirk or any other obvious look that she was familiar with on guys faces when they were taking a look down a woman's shirt. There was certainly skin showing but not an amount she was uncomfortable with living around a bunch of single men.

He lifted his right hand from the glass and brought it around to the front of her, she watched as his hand trembled slightly as he brought it closer to that exposed v of skin, palm towards her. He stopped inches away from her. "I don't know you?" His voice was as uncertain as before, his breathing quick. 

Lexie didn't know what was going on but there was fear in his eyes as well as determination. "No. You don't know me." She spoke in a normal volume of voice and it seemed to startle him into action. He pushed his palm against her chest, his large hand nearly at her throat while his other hand went around to the small of her back. He kept her from moving while his eyes went wide in what she could only describe as shock.

Some form of recognition passed over his face even though his words spoke the opposite. "I don't know you. I don't know you." His voice was full of relief, "I. Don't. Know. You." And just as shocking he bowed against her, his head dropping against hers as he pulled her into what she could only describe as a desperate hug. 

He didn't let her go as he turned her and walked to the twin sized bed, nearly carrying her. Walking backwards on tiptoes the back of her knees hit the edge and she would have fallen if he hadn't lowered her carefully to the bed. He followed to sit beside her, and used his body to try to push her back on the mattress as he went to lay down. 

Lexie used her hands to try to forcefully push at his chest, and was able to stay upright though he was right up on her and the wall was behind her. She didn't have anywhere to go. "Whoa, no, stop right there. No. Stop."

Loki frowned down at her. "No." He pulled back from her, letting her hands come up between them.

"Yes, no." She pushed him back farther, putting her hand up and looking sternly at him. "I'm not sure what you think is going to happen here but-"

"I don't know you." Loki sounded slightly bewildered, a tilt to his head while he poked her chest with a long finger.

Lexie huffed as she pushed his finger away, "Yes, you don't know me but that doesn't-"

Loki's long arms reached out, pulled her to him and before she could react she found he had laid down with her pulled tight against him. Her head rested on the shoulder of one of his arms while the other was wrapped over her waist with his palm pressing against her lower back. His leg was thrown over hers, thigh to thigh. Mouth open she looked up at him. Green eyes were intense, she found she couldn't just keep looking into them so she glanced away. Being pressed up against him there wasn't much she could see other than him, so she found herself looking back up just in time to see his eyes slowly close as his forehead came to rest against hers. And he was asleep.

Tony was out of his minor surgery and back in his bed. His face was pale, his brown hair making it look even more so. He needed to shave, his usually trimmed beard was being filled in and his hair was getting long. But it was this ruffled, unguarded boyish quality that Pepper always fell for, every time.

And right now her heart was breaking for this man-child who was in so much pain that he had felt death was a logical option. She sat beside his bed and brushed a finger over his face then went back to holding his hand. His gown was open so that Strange could have access to check his incisions and she lifted the gown to peek at it, again. Just to make sure it was still okay.

"If you want to play doctor I'm willing." The voice was gravelly and low but had that damn smirk in it.

Pepper's eyes snapped to Tony's face and saw a matching smirk though it was faint. His eyes were closed though the one good eye seemed to be trying to open. She wasn't sure if she laughed or sobbed as she leaned forward to kiss his lips.

He smiled against her kisses as he kissed her back. "Hello nurse." He whispered.

"Tony." She laughed out loud, pulling back from him to look at his face. "You're a mess."

He raised an eyebrow, "A mess? Then it's sponge bath time?" He smiled, "or we could just get messier."

Bruce cleared his throat, "uh yeah, um, no," He sighed deeply.

Strange spoke, "as your surgeon Tony you're going to have to refrain from any movement that could pop your stitches. Sexual activities would be at the top of the list."

"Thank god." Bruce muttered.

Tony finally got his one eye opened and attempted to focus on the two blurry figures beside his bed that he knew weren't Pepper. "Not the boss of me." He muttered and closed his eye, he was already exhausted.

"Well I am." Pepper said firmly but he could hear the smile in her voice. "Just rest and get better, I'll be here when you wake up." Tony felt Pepper kiss his cheek and he might have smiled but he was asleep and would never know.

The three of them watched Tony for a moment. Pepper stood and turned away from him with a sob and Bruce enfolded her in his arms, holding her tightly as she cried. "Come on, let's go sit down over here." He kept his arms around her as they all moved to an area where Happy sat hunched over on a couch and Vision stood staring out the window looking at the cityscape.

Pepper sat on the couch and accepted the handkerchief Happy held out to her. Wiping her eyes she crushed it in her hands as she took several deep breaths. "What are we going to do? We can't just keep letting him go on like this."

Bruce rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while biting his lip, "Pepper, has Tony ever been on medication?"

Both Pepper and Happy huffed but it was Pepper who answered, "Rhodey got him to agree to try it for three months, to swear to take the medication every day and he actually did it. Right up to the last day. It was horrible, he couldn't think, he sat around just drugged. Tony refused to try again."

Bruce clasped both hands behind his head, "it takes more than three months and there's a lot of medications and combination to try. He needs something specialized for him." Bruce paced off a short distance, a hand tugging at his lips while the other absently twisted at a curl.

"Well if you can find something, good luck trying to get him to take it."

There was a heavy silence that Strange broke with uncharacteristic uncertainty, "he needs to talk to someone. He's going through post traumatic stress that at least goes back to his original kidnapping. It's been building until todays attempt."

Happy shook his head, "Tony would never really try to kill himself. Not really. He's reckless and he pushes the envelope but he always knows where the edge is and not to fall over it."

Bruce shook his head, folding his arms tightly over his chest, "well this time he not only tried to push himself over the edge he tried to bury himself into the countryside of India. If it wasn't for an old program that J.A.R.V.I.S. had created and hidden from Tony all this time, he would have done it."

Pepper and Happy looked confused. "What program? How could Tony not know about it?" She looked at Vision, "Do you know anything about this?"

He looked uncomfortable and spoke hesitantly, "I'm sorry, I don't have all of J.A.R.V.I.S's memories. I accessed the information F.R.I.D.A.Y. provided and it was created by J.A.R.V.I.S. He requested Mister Stark ease restrictions when he was working on the creation of safety features for you Ms. Potts."

"Me?" Pepper put a hand to her chest.

"Yes. It seems that J.A.R.V.I.S. was able to work around any limitations put into place by Mister Stark by going under the assumption that if he were to commit suicide it would cause irreparable harm to you."

There was silence in the group until Pepper brought the handkerchief to her face as she cried into it. Happy slid over and put his arm around her and she leaned into him. 

Bruce turned away from the group, he kept his back to them while he tried to think about how much of their world rested on the love an AI had for a man. He rocked back on his heels a few times, his arms tightly hugging himself. He looked back over his shoulder, "so who would he talk to?"

Pepper snorted, "no one. I've been trying for years. Rhodey's been trying for longer than I've even known Tony. He won't trust anyone with what's going on in his head, at least not more than bits and pieces."

Strange glanced over at Tony's sleeping form. "We'll all need to keep an eye on him, and try to keep an ear out for anything he says."

Vision stood straighter, "I must say that I'm afraid that will not include me. Mister Stark will not be confiding in me, he dislikes me most intensely."

Pepper shook her head, not noticing everyone else seemed uncomfortable and wasn't looking at Vision. "Vis, that's not true."

He gave a faint smile, "your attempt at lying to reassure me is a noble yet unnecessary gesture. Unfortunately, not only was I was created at the expense of J.A.R.V.I.S.'s life, but I have his voice. I also remind Mister Stark of the human Jarvis who was possibly more of a father figure than his actual father. When he hears me, I would expect that it brings him discomfort if not actual mental suffering."

Bruce had turned around and was staring at Vision. "That's why you stay here instead of the complex."

Vision nodded, "Mister Stark can still call on me if I'm needed, and he has in the past using F.R.I.D.A.Y., however it's simply easier for all involved. Including Wanda."

Everyone's eyes seemed to end up resting on Tony. He had no idea of the concern and worry on his friends faces, he would have been uncomfortable in the extreme and made some rude joke to exasperate them all and shift attention. However since he was asleep there was no one to distract them as they made a more detailed plan on how exactly they would keep their Tony safe from his worst enemy.

Lexie hadn't fallen asleep but she had finally relaxed enough to close her eyes and let her mind drift over what the hell had happened. She asked herself if she had actually been afraid of Loki hurting her. She decided that while there had been moments where she had been afraid it had been more of the unknown, not really that he would hurt her. He never had looked at her in anger, at least none that was directed at her. She saw the frustration on his features and body language as he seemed to try to form his thoughts or understand her words. 

She wondered what was causing his speech difficulty. Perhaps having his mouth sown shut? How long had it been since he had spoken? Thor had made it seem the muzzle had been on him nearly the whole time in Asgard, had it impaired his ability to speak? She mentally shook her head. No, this was a mental block, he couldn't find the words. He knew there were words that he wasn't finding and that was-

F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice came quietly into the cell, "agents Romanoff and Barton are approaching the complex."


	9. Chapter 9

Nat and Clint sat with several empty beer bottles on the coffee table along with plates that once held what Lexie knew was one of their favorite foods. She had started with pulling out of the freezer some dishes that she had cooked just for this type of emergency- food that needed to be microwaved and eaten now. While the two agents had wordlessly eaten Lexie had started cooking and now the two sat exhausted and nearly glassy eyed against the cushions.

Blood spattered, grimy with a few dirty bandages of their own, they had obviously fought their way back home. Nat cracked open an eye and looked to Lexie, "anything interesting happen here while we were gone?"

Lexie gave a bark of laughter that wasn't completely humorous though her eyes lit up, "oh my god, Nat, I would say you two missed all the fun but you guys obviously made your own."

Clint kept his eyes closed, "yeah, I can smell the fun just rolling off us."

"Speak for yourself, Barton." Nat elbowed him, "I don't stink."

"Oww. Of course not, you're all cotton candy and sunshine."

Lexie did give a real smile though it was faint. "Well, there has been a lot of things that have happened, I'll admit I don't have details on most. But Bruce is at Stark Towers with Strange and Tony. Last I heard something had happened with Tony." Both Nat and Clint opened their eyes to look at Lexie who held her hands up, "I don't have the details. Bruce tried to lie to me, he said it was minor."

"Shit." Nat pushed herself to her feet.

"Hey, there's something else." Lexie's tone made both agents focus on her, their tiredness momentarily forgotten. "Steve's in the hospital. He was at S.H.I.E.L.D. H.Q. when everything went down. He met up with the Winter Soldier."

"Shit shit shit." Nat ground out through clenched teeth while heading up to her rooms to shower and change. Clint leaped from the couch to follow her and they were gone before Lexie could say anything else.

Downstairs Loki had woke up. His hands had reached for something before he had even opened his eyes but there was nothing there but blankets. He rose to his feet with a sense of being thwarted in something and it made him agitated.

stop want want what? where? where is it?? lost found it touch don't BEAST touch no touch touch? I don't know you stop wait no I KNOW YOU

Loki's head snapped up and he looked around, a fierce frown making lines across his brow and at the corners of his eyes. His lips pinched as what he was looking for didn't appear before him and he looked at the door. He went to it and pushed but it didn't open. He pushed against it harder. It still didn't open so he hit it with his palms then his fist. First one then the other. His green eyes filled with rage and a guttural growl then roar broke from his throat. 

Upstairs F.R.I.D.A.Y. broke in on Lexie's thoughts as she was clearing the coffee table and loading the dishwasher. "Loki is awake and he appears to be attempting to break out of his cell."

Lexie's eyes popped wide then she dropped the bowl in the dishwasher and ran for the elevator. As soon as the doors started to open she could hear his yells, his angry cries which stopped the moment she stepped out and he saw her. Lexie first focused on him standing tall against the clear wall but then she refocused on the wall itself. There were streaks of blood on the inside where Loki's fists had repeatedly tried to break through.

She stalked to the door and looked at him. His eyes were full of that rage she had seen before but as she came closer it faded almost instantly to something closer to anger and hurt. His chest was heaving, his jaw was clenched and his body was so tense he was almost balanced on his toes. She looked down at his hands which were fists with the blood dripping off them, the knuckles cut up, split open. He took one fist and banged it on the wall, she looked up at him and saw his mouth opening and closing. He looked around then pressed his palm against the wall and met her eyes again.

stay listen wait don't go I don't know you touch touch me no pain pleasure stop wait why go BEAST no no no stop wait stay 

"Loki, you can't do this." She motioned to the blood and pointed to his hand then hers. "Look at what you did. You haven't even healed from your-"

"Go." Loki pointed to the bed behind him then to her, "Go."

stop wait FILTHY why go stay wait no stop I don't know you listen words where gone say SPEAK stop wait no no 

Lexie raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

He frowned, "Go." He pushed on the door then pointed to the bed. His eyes seem to plead with her as he pointed to her. "I don't know you. Go."

stop no wait stay don't go don't leave me why pleasure FORBIDDEN BEAST touch I don't know you touch stay why go LISTEN stop

Lexie stared at him, meeting his eyes while she tried to figure out what he could be trying to say. One word could mean so much although pointing at her and the bed kind of narrowed it down. She shook her head. "I'm not going in there with you while you're like this."

Loki frowned and shook his head, he obviously didn't know what she was saying. He hit the wall, leaving a bloody smear while growling.

"Stop that! No." Lexie pointed at Loki and he froze, looking at her in what was clearly surprise. She pointed to his hand then her hand and lightly hit the wall. "No. Don't hit. You're hurting yourself, stop it."

He swallowed and looked at his hand, the blood dripping as if he hadn't noticed it before. His eyes went from her face to his hand. "Hurt." He whispered. Then he clenched his eyes shut as a shudder ran through him and he shook his head violently before opening his eyes again.

stop hurt yes all hurt every hurt everyone hurt bodies twisting pleasure pain stop stop no no more BEAST pleasure pain pain pleasure HURTno leave me ALONE no don't go stay I don't know you please stay touch me no pain BEAST pleasure please wait stay stay here must must stay LISTEN SPEAK stop

"Yes," she pointed to his hand and all the blood on the wall. "You," she pointed to him, "Loki, you hurt yourself. Stop that."

He frowned at her, then she saw the exact instant he understood what she meant. She could only describe his eyes as sparking to life as a hard smile came to his lips. He smirked as his head leaned forward against the wall, right in the blood. His voice a low rumble, he pointed to Lexie, "I don't know you." Next he pointed to the bed, "Go. Stay." Then he held up a bloody hand and pointed to it. "Hurt." And he struck the wall, hard.

Lexie's mouth dropped open. For a second she met his glittering eyes and wondered if she understood him correctly. She was trying to convince herself she had to be wrong when she saw his eyebrow arch and she felt her face flush in disbelief. "Are you serious?" She hissed out. "Are you actually threatening to hurt yourself if I don't come in there?" She slapped her palm on the wall. She pointed a finger at him, "you have got a lot of nerve, I'll give you that. I can not believe you." She turned and started pacing.

Lexie finally stopped in front of Loki, hands on her hips as she shook her head and looked him up and down. "Thor said you were the god of tricks. Has this been a trick? Is this a joke?" She waved at the bloody wall, "I'm not going to play games with you. And I'm not going to let you manipulate me into doing what you want with threats. At least not these kinds." Lexie shook her head again and sighed. "I can't let you." She was frustrated and felt her eyes start to tear up then swiped at them angerly. Turning she headed for the elevator.

Loki realized that she was leaving, going to disappear. "No!" He shouted. He slapped the wall then again hit it again and again. "No, please. Stop."

Lexie stopped. She didn't turn around in the silence. Breathing deeply through her nose she worked on calming her emotions. She turned around to find green eyes drilling into her. He had his palms flat against the wall, head resting against it as well, breathing through his mouth she saw the lines on his face shift with his emotions. 

As she slowly walked towards him his shoulders sagged slightly but he hardly blinked as she came right up to the wall. His eyes were a deep green, still emotional but not angry, just confused, exhausted and frustrated.

"Loki, how much of what I'm saying do you understand?" He shook his head, his hand waving off her words dismissively. He started to point to her and now it was her turn to stop him with a shake of her head and raising her voice, "No, stop." She used those words because they seemed to be the only words that got his attention and that he actually obeyed. As she hoped, they worked again. 

Loki stilled, "stop." He whispered the word, discomfort crossed his face as his eyes seemed to slide away from Lexie's face, losing their focus.

"Loki." She tapped her fingers on the wall, his eyes slowly came back to hers. She looked at him, her lips pressed together. She watched his eyes focus on her face, roaming over her features then back to her eyes but he didn't attempt to say anything. She pointed to herself, "Lexie. that's my name." She pointed to him. "Loki. You're Loki. Do you even understand that?"

Loki shook his head, pushing away from the glass, seeming to take the question in her voice as permission to speak. He stabbed a finger at her, then struggled to find the words, to force them out. His throat convulsing, his mouth opening and closing until he finally pointed back at the bed and spit out, "Went!" Then pointed demandingly at the elevator. "Went!"

Lexie's head snapped back and her eyes widened as she looked from Loki to the bed then back to Loki's face as he still struggled to speak. "Do you mean that I left when you were sleeping? That I," her voice trailed off as she mouthed the words he had been using. "Go, stay, went." Loki's face relaxed slightly though he seemed to look at her suspiciously, his body leaned forward as if to see her better. "I had to go, Nat and Clint were here, you were asleep."

Loki's jaw jutted out, his eyes narrowed, "went."

Lexie lifted her chin, "yes I went. And look what you did. You threw a tantrum and smashed your hands all up and I still came back so it was for nothing." Loki was frowning at her. She shook her head, "you're giving me such a headache." She shook her head, "but then again, I'm not the one who has lost his words." She sighed deeply. "And you need your words if you're going to tell us what we need to know."

Loki hit the glass with his fist though it was more to get her attention than in anger. "wait." He shook his head. A frustrated growl came out as he slapped his palm on the wall and smeared the blood on it into an arc.

Making up her mind, Lexie walked over to a large first aid kit that was attached to the wall and pulled it lose. She walked back to the door and stood in front of it while Loki stood on the other side.

Now he was wary, his shoulders tense, slightly bent forward. His eyes were back to watching her like a snake, predatory, he knew she was coming into the cell. He looked ready to pounce. Or escape.

"Back up." Loki didn't move. "You need to go sit on the bed before I come in there." Loki's only response was to tilt his head slightly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice got a reaction from Loki. He looked up at the ceiling while taking a step back, uncertainty furrowing his brow.

"Not really but you're ready, right?"

"I was born ready."

Lexie laughed out loud and Loki's expression cleared as wonder came over his face. A thought came to Lexie that this must be the Loki that Thor was remembering, his carefree brother. And she could see how he was willing to do anything to get that man back instead of the confused, wary and damaged one that slowly reappeared in front of her. Her smile slipped off and she pointed to the bed, "Sit down."

Loki narrowed his eyes.

Lexie mirrored his expression. Pointing to herself then the door she said, "If you want me to come in there you need to back up and sit on the bed."

He actually arched his eyebrow at her.

"Oh no you did not." Lexie didn't turn but she pointed back at the elevator. "I can go if you want. Go?"

His hands reached out as though to grab her, "no! no, stay."

Now it was Lexie's turn to raise her eyebrow. "Go sit on the bed." She pointed.

Loki growled deep in his chest, his mouth worked but he didn't speak. Slowly he stepped backwards till he felt the edge of the metal bed. He remained standing, eyes narrowing, mouth twitching while his fingers flexed. Even his toes weren't able to stay still. Finally he sat on the edge of the bed, leaning forward.

"Uh huh, as soon as I open the door you're pouncing on me. Scoot all the way back." She waved with her hand then pointed, "Back, move back." Loki made a noise that almost sounded like a mutter but he moved all the way back and actually crossed his legs, leaning his head back against the wall. As soon as he did the tension seemed to leave his entire body, his shoulders slumped, his eyes closed and his face went slack.

"Door," Lexie said quietly, she heard it unlock and she pulled it open and stepped in. Once it closed and locked behind her she walked to the edge of the bed and looked down at Loki. She set the first aid kit on the bed then sat carefully on the edge. Loki's eyes slowly opened but there was no expression in them, they were a tired, flat green. 

Opening the first aid kit she reached for a simple wound washing solution and opened some gauze. When she was ready she looked up to see that he had been watching her, only a slight curiosity now in his eyes. "I'm going to clean off the blood first, it's all over you." She pointed to his right hand, "can I have that hand?" He looked at his hand then back at her but didn't move. She slowly moved her hand closer to his, his eyes darted down to watch and he pulled his hands back.

"No, no touch." His voice was low but there was no mistaking the command in his tone.

"I need to touch you to clean you."

He swallowed, "do I know you?" It was a question, he was staring in her eyes intensely, his body had stiffened. "Do I know you?" Now it was a demand.

"No, you don't know me." She looked down to see his hand flexing, reaching out towards hers uncertainly. She met his eyes and firmly said, "Loki, you do not know me."

"I don't know you? I don't know you." They both looked down as his hand slowly made its way to hers. A long finger reached out and tentatively touched one of hers. He seemed to wait for something to happen and when it didn't his body relaxed and he let out a sigh, "I don't know you."

Lexie started wiping the blood off his hand. As she worked she would occasionally look up and sometimes his eyes were closed and other times he would be watching her through half lidded eyes. She looked closer at his nailbed, raising his hand to her face, each of the nails were nearly half the length of the bed. "Well you're healing faster than a human but probably much slower than an Asgardian."

Loki grunted tiredly and Lexie looked up to see him frowning at her. "No."

"No? Not slower than an Asgardian?" He scowled. "Well that will be something I'll have to ask Thor about." Loki's hand spasmed in hers.

"No." Now it was a tired growl.

"Yeah, you and your brothers love hate relationship is pretty well known around here." Lexie started putting antibacterial ointment on the open flesh and covered it in soft gauze. "But you know he cares about you. He went crazy trying to find you, I'm pretty sure he feels guilty about what happened to you. I think he'll even let you stab him if it makes you feel better." She wrapped the hand in a long bandage, frowning and sticking her tongue out between her lips a she struggled to figure out how to get every thing to stay in place. Finally tucking the end under she looked up at him with a half smile.

Loki was staring at her with a soft frown. With his now bandaged hand he reached out to touch her hair that had fallen forward of her shoulder. He rubbed it between his fingers, never breaking eye contact. "Touch me."

"What what?" Lexie shuddered out, "What?"

Loki held up his damaged left hand at near eye level. "Touch me."

Lexie swallowed, her face flaming red, "Wow, yeah. We are going to need to work on your vocabulary skills." She reached out and took his hand, refusing to look up at him. He still had her hair in his bandaged hand and she pulled it free and tossed it over her shoulder. He reached out and pulled a thick strand forward again, lazily twisting it between his fingers. "That's incredibly distracting." She tried to pull it free again and he clamped his fingers shut. Lexie huffed, "fine."

This time she worked much faster and had his hand cleaned and bandaged in half the time which Loki didn't seem to appreciate. She leaned back to throw the medical garbage in the trash then closed the kit up. "Well that part is finished." Loki had his eyes closed as he leaned back against the wall, his hands still playing with the long strand of Lexie's hair. She reached out and was able to slip it from between his fingers.

His eyes opened with an unhappy rumble from his chest.

"I need to, um, go." She caught her bottom lip in her teeth. "But I'll be right back."

Loki grabbed her wrist, not too tightly but she would have a hard time getting free. "No. No go."

"I know, I know. But you're exhausted. Your temper tantrum took every thing out of you and I want to get you something to eat before you pass out." She pointed to his mouth, "you need to eat."

Now he shook his head adamantly, "no eat. No." He looked angry.

"Yes, you have to eat."

He leaned towards her, "no. No eat. No." There was fear in his eyes though his voice was demanding.

"Loki, I have no idea how long it's been since you've had a real meal, what you had before doesn't count." A wave of guilt crossed her face just thinking about what she had done to him before, letting Bruce test him with food. "You can't go forever without eating, god or not."

"No no no." He sounded like an exhausted toddler and impulsively Lexie reached out and pulled him into a hug. He let go of her, his body tensed, he was still, hard and not even breathing. She rubbed his back, until she felt him uncoil, melting against her, his head on her shoulder. He didn't hug her back but she was willing to take what he was willing to give.

Sitting back she looked into softly dazed green eyes. "I will be back. I'm going to return. I'm coming back, okay?" She was hoping he would understand something out of her words or at least her tone of voice. She pointed to the elevator, "I will go then I will come back and stay." She pointed to the bed.

Loki stared at her, there was no sign of understanding in his eyes. He grabbed her hand, "stay."

Lexie stood, tugging her hand free, he didn't try to keep her. "I will be right back. I need to get you something to eat. Ten minutes, fifteen tops." She backed out, Loki watched her, lines forming across his brow and at the corner of his eyes. He pressed his lips into a hard line but he watched her till she got on the elevator and the doors closed. Then he closed his eyes and let himself slowly slide down onto the mattress.

As soon as the elevator doors opened Lexie headed to the kitchen, grabbed a container of the bone broth from the fridge and poured it into a soup pan to heat. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. where's Nat and Clint?"

"They have left the complex."

"They left? Did they say where they were going?" Lexie stopped moving for a moment in surprise.

"No, however from their conversations they were going to check on Captain Rodgers and then go to Stark Towers."

Muttering Lexie pulled her phone out, "great, just great." No messages, no missed calls, nothing. Shoving the phone once more into her back jean pocket she pulled a small thermos out of a cabinet, a soup spoon from a drawer along with several linen napkins. When the broth was hot she poured it in the thermos and closed it up. Grabbing everything she hurried back to the elevator but this time she went up to her apartments floor.

Stepping out she went past Thor's room, he only had the one since he wasn't living there full time. Once Lexie opened her door it was obvious that the fact that she did live here full time had been taken into consideration. And her apartment was as far as her single room at Stark Tower as it could possibly be.

Deep wine and emerald jewel tones filled the space with blue and gold accents. If a modern day luxury resort merged with a medieval library it probably would not be as nice as the apartment furnished at Tony Starks insistence. He had made sure Lexie had every single thing she wanted even if she didn't realize it by simply having her go shopping with Pepper and Nat while having F.R.I.D.A.Y. do a scan of her vitals. It was like she was taking a lie detector test the whole time they were going through decorator warehouses. Of course he didn't tell any one, that would be creepy, even he knew that.

And yet he didn't know what to feel about her insistence that his gift of the Iron Man cat post get a place in the apartment living area rather than being replaced with something more elegant or at least matching. Instead it had pride of place in front of the wall of windows.

"Merlin! You wretched cat!" Lexie set everything on the counter, grabbed a can of cat food from the cabinet, popped the top and dumped it into the empty cat dish. She rinsed and refilled the water dish, "I haven't seen you in days! Come on buddy, here kitty kitty." She waited a minute, "what's the point of having a cat if I never see it?" Grabbing everything back up she headed towards the door, "fine, be that way."

A last minute thought sent her to one of the wall sized, dark wood bookcases. She knew what she was looking for and grabbed several books off different shelves then a worn, coverless paperback off the couch before heading out the door and to the elevator with her arms full.

She felt nearly breathless or at least like she should be when the doors opened on the cell level. She was prepared for Loki to have undone all her work by throwing another fit so she was relieved when she saw that he appeared to be asleep.

When she walked into the cell and looked down at him she noticed that his eyes were again slowly moving back and forth against his lids. He looked uncomfortable, one leg folded under him, the other knee pointed up while his body lay flat on the mattress so she set everything on the small table. Reaching to roll his legs out from under him, she touched both his hip and his knee and Loki erupted from his sleep. He grabbed her wrist and arm, pulling her down to the mattress and pinning her on her side. He was straddling her, knees on both sides, looking down at her with zero recognition in his eyes. His long black hair slipped forward.

She stared up at him. There was nothing in his eyes. No anger. No rage. Nothing. He was just looking at her with a flat and deadly quality. "Loki, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched you." Lexie tried to speak normally but it was impossible with him sitting on her and his grip nearly crushing her. Her voice came out trembling and she took a gulp of air. "I shouldn't have touched you, not when you were sleep. I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for touching you. I won't touch you again. No touch, okay?"

There was no movement. No recognition on his face. He looked down at his hands, where they were touching her and he peeled them free from her and rolled off. He stared at her like she was the one who had attacked, he didn't look aware of anything. His eyes moved around the cell as if looking for something but there was no curiosity in his expression, just the movement of his eyes. Slowly he lay back down.

Lexie couldn't help herself, she jumped off the bed and took several steps back. "What the hell, F.R.I.D.A.Y. What happened to born ready?"

"I'm sorry, Lexie. I've been monitoring his heartrate in anticipation of an attack. His heartrate is still at his resting rate."

"You mean he's asleep?"

"It appears that way."

Lexie ran a hand through part of her hair, pushing it back, "what the hell is going on with you?" She watched him as he closed his eyes and they immediately started moving back and forth behind his lids.

Loki opened his eyes. He knew to not make a sound. He stood in the palace gardens at night. Lanterns had been lit and hung throughout, casting soft light and deep shadows. He could see dozens of figures moving about. Some danced upright to the music that drifted from the palace musicians who played on the balconies while he saw many others dancing horizontal on the grass. He stood still in the darkest corner, trying not to breathe, to keep quiet, to move nothing more than his eyes as he watched figures moving past his hiding place as they searched for him.

Someone grabbed his knee, he dropped and his hands found a body at his feet. He moved quickly, grasping them tightly. Straddling them he would have covered their mouth so they couldn't call out to the others except they were already speaking quietly, apologizing for touching him. He didn't understand why she would say those words. No one ever apologized to him. No one ever said they were sorry for touching him and no one ever said they wouldn't touch him. He also didn't recognize her. He had been here long enough to have been touched by thousands, over and over. But never this woman. Never her. Her touch did nothing to his mind, there was no pain, no searing guilt. He rolled off her. Slowly he stood and slipped back into the shadows, all the while watching her, waiting for her to betray him. But she was quiet and finally he was back in the familiar dark. Someone in the distance called his name, when he looked back down she was gone.

Voices came closer and he knew he was going to bolt, to run despite knowing it was going to lead to nothing but failure. It was the fear, the overwhelming fear that was building, rising inside him. Despite his best efforts he found himself darting down familiar paths that began twisting into mazes that he knew didn't belong.

There was a shout, he had been seen, then laughter as the chase began. Some men and women got close, hands grabbing at him but he pulled and twisted away. He was in his formal dress, his court leathers, it was a second skin but it also provided something for eager hands to grasp. He came to a dead end in a large grassy area with a waterfall. Surrounded by the palace walls on two sides and the waterfall on the third, there was no where to go.

Loki heard giggling and spun around, putting a hand out, he knew the two small figures coming towards him. "Stop." Granddaughters of a member of the court that he actually tolerated because they both loved discussing the man's local crops.

The young barefoot maids stopped and curtseyed, tiny fingers gripping their pale green dresses. In the faint light their golden hair glowed as it fell around their waist, a bright green ribbon tied in each ones hair, "good eve, Prince Loki." They twined their hands together and grinned a gap toothed smile, "how fare thee?" Together they lightly hopped forward.

"Get away from me." His tongue darted out, licking parched, cracked lips. "Stop." His other hand shot out. "Wait." 

They moved closer and now he could sense more figures entering the glade. He looked around, the familiar sense of panic filling his stomach with acid as he recognized all the faces. He knew them all. He heard a voice call to him from the palace balcony.

"Loki!" Looking up he watched as Thor waved, his infectious smile over his face as he vaulted over the balcony to land easily below.

Loki moaned in dread, "no no no, stop." 

Thor was advancing towards him, arms outstretched. "My beautiful, baby brother! Come, let us feast and celebrate this night!" Even in the faint light his eyes sparkled and his grin was bright.

Loki felt small hands clasping at his legs, his waist and he looked down to see the two maids grabbing at his tunic. No, grabbing at the buttons on his breaches, the smiles on their faces not that of innocent children but of women well used. He shoved them, pushing them to the ground, hastily stepping back. He pointed at them and angerly hissed, "Don't touch me. Get back." They giggled with smiles and jumped to their feet, moving close again.

He felt Thor's hands grasp him by the back of his neck, pulling him into a too close embrace. Trying to twist out of Thor's grasp he couldn't get free, the massive arms squeezed tighter. Thor kissed Loki on the cheek, then shouted, "A feast! In celebration of my brothers return to us. A better man! Let us enjoy all the delights that are offered this night." Loki didn't even know when he brought the daggers forth but he used them. Driving them forward he ran Thor through, from one side and out the other with a scream of hate and rage. "Don't touch me! Get off!" The shock and utter betrayal on Thor's face cut deep into Loki but he shoved the guilt deep. A long leg kicked Thor back and he had to watch as his brother fell to the ground.

Loki spun, pushing smaller hands off him. Every pair of hands that reached for him he fought off. He was a master with blades, they were his weapon of choice. He wielded them until he was alone, bloody, shaking, heaving in the faint light surrounded by the dead, twisted bodies as the music floated down around him.

He looked around then down, his eye caught by two bright green ribbons and he found nerveless hands releasing his blades as he walked closer then dropped to his knees. Their little throats were slit, he knelt over them, grasping the blood soaked fabric in long fingers, sobbing with grief. He rocked on his knees, forearms on the ground that was soft and wet with blood below him.

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder, and he heard a beloved voice whisper, "shh, all will be well, my son." He sensed her kneel behind him, her body close to his.

Loki sat up and fell into his mothers arms. He felt the softness of her dress, it was one of his favorites, a gold with green trim. He took comfort in the familiar way she pushed his hair back behind his ears. She gently pulled him closer as he sobbed, trying to get words out, "I, they wouldn't stop, mother." He looked around in utter confusion, "I told them to stop but they wouldn't. I didn't mean to."

"I know, I know." She again pushed his silky hair back and smiled into his face. She kissed him gently on the forehead. Loki relaxed onto her shoulder, then tensed as he became aware of bodies moving into the glade, moving towards them. He tried to rise but his mother stopped him with a surprisingly strong grip on his arms, "no, it's okay. You'll be fine, you'll see." She smiled gently, another kiss on the forehead as her hands moved down his arms. "My beautiful boy." 

Loki's eye snapped wide as his mothers hands reached for his breaches. "No!" he screamed, horror giving him strength to stand. She clung to him and rose with him, he tried to move from her grasp but it was too late, he had waited too long. Given in to sentiment over the two maids rather than escaping. "No, no, wait, stop! Stop, don't touch me. Get off, get off me!" His voice begged and then commanded. 

He saw the faces behind her, moving closer. He knew them all, a very few he had loved, many he had hated, they grabbed and seized him. He was pushed backwards, tripping over a body he fell but was cushioned by the rest of the dead, twisted bodies. He pushed and shoved, punched and kicked. Arched and bucked. He fought. It did no good other than exhausting him and seeming to bury him beneath more bodies eager for him.

Hands, gentle, rough, large and small grabbed and grasped at him. Touching his skin, sometimes digging and scratching while other times caressing. Mouths on him, until his mind once more fell into utter confusion at the conflicting feelings and emotions. He felt the pleasure but then the pain of the fighting and wondered if he should just surrender. Give in to the pleasure. It would be so damn easy. And he knew it was exactly what was expected of him. He heard the ripping of his tunic, felt it pulled from him, his breaches pulled from him while his arms were painfully pushed into his body. He gasped as a shudder of pleasure ripped through him and his eyes opened as his head fell back. He found himself looking up into the stars. His eyes drifted towards the palace and a figure standing on the balcony. There in the light stood Odin, expressionless, staring down, watching.

Loki felt more pleasure rip through him, he closed his eyes. BEAST. The word slapped him, like a blade through his mind. FOUL and FILTHY. He heard the words and they pulled at himself. He knew the voice, he knew it. GET UP. It was screaming at him, unbelieving that he was just laying there. This was FORBIDDEN. The voice was filled with disgust. So he tried. He couldn't get the bodies off him, their weight held him down. PATHETIC CREATURE. YOU. ARE. A. GOD. The voice screamed. GET. UP. And so he did, blades in his hands, he fought to his feet, dressing himself with his magic until he stood in full battle dress and helmet. He used his blades to slice and stab, this wasn't glorious battle. It was dirty street fighting, stabbing and grunting until he was once more alone, covered in gore. Another pile of twisted bodies at his feet. He saw the beautiful gold dress with the green trim but he ignored it to look up at the balcony. Odin stared down at him. Loki pointed one of his blades at Odin and grinned. Loki's eyes shinned with madness, and he licked the blood from his lips as he took his first step forward to the palace steps.

Odin pounded gungnir into the ground and a blinding white light flashed out through the garden, throwing Loki crashing back into the waterfall.

When Loki opened his eyes he stood in the palace gardens at night. He knew to not make a sound.


	10. Chapter 10

Tony opened his eyes slowly to figure out where he was. He could smell the faint odor of a hospital and he remembered waking up but that could have been a dream. He found it was impossible to open one eye and difficult to open the other and tried to raise his hand to find out why. That's when he realized that someone was holding his hand. Turning his head he really hoped it was Pepper.

He was laying flat on his back, her head was resting on the bed next to his chest. He could barely see her face but she looked so tired. He frowned, why was she here? She should be with Happy, running Stark Industries from a bunker he had personally blessed. He squeezed her hand which woke her up, she raised her head to look at him, bleary eyed and gave him a faint smile before leaning over to gently kiss him.

He kissed her back. When she broke the kiss to pull back a few inches he had to turn his head to see all of her. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be here?" Lines appeared between her brows.

Tony looked at her puzzled, "oh, maybe because S.H.I.E.L.D.s gone to hell, Hydra seems to have made a miraculous resurrection, which I will be talking to Rogers about, and you were safe in my baby bunker."

Pepper was looking at Tony with her mouth open, her eyes looking into that one open eye as if trying to read his mind. She turned over her shoulder and called in a slightly hysterical voice, "Bruce, I think there's brain damage."

Tony's one good eye shoot painfully wide, "what?" He tried to sit up and she pressed him back. He tried to raise his hands and couldn't get them more than a few inches up. He turned his head and saw that he was restrained. His heart leaped in his chest and the heart monitor started sounding. He saw Bruce come into his view. "Bruce, what the hell?"

Bruce toggled a switch and the bed rose so that Tony was sitting only slightly more up right. "Easy Tony, we need to keep those stiches from popping." He looked to Pepper, "what happened?"

Tony spoke over her, "Bruce, what the fuck, man? Untie me."

"He asked why I was here. He doesn't remember." Pepper took tried to take Tony's hand but he pushed hers away as he twisted, trying to get free. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears.

"Tony, do you remember what happened? The, uh, crash?"

"Of course I remember it. I was there! Now get me out of these." Tony was pushing with his feet, they were free, trying to push himself upright. He hated the position he was in, on his back with them towering over him. He loved Pepper and he trusted Bruce with his life but he didn't want them over him, it was freaking him out that something was going on that he didn't understand. Plus he was tied down. "Let. Me. Go." His voice was a growl.

Pepper actually stepped back. "Tony?"

He kept his gaze locked on Bruce who raised his hands up. "Okay, sure. First lets talk for just a minute. I just want to be sure you're okay, you had a concussion you know." Bruce licked his lips and moved closer to the bed.

"You're a for shit liar, Banner, and you know it. Now untie me." 

Bruce shook his head, "Tony we have to talk first about what happened. I just need you to take a deep breath and give me one minute and then I'll release-"

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. suit!" Tony called, knowing his suit would cut right through the restraints. Nothing happened, "F.R.I.D.A.Y." Tony called but he had already seen the expression on Bruce's face. Sadness, regret, guilt. How his shoulders had hunched, his hands shoved into his jean pockets.

"I'm sorry Boss." F.R.I.D.A.Y.s voice actually did sound like she was sorry.

Tony gulped, the vision in his one eye started narrowing, he felt his lungs get heavy but he pushed out to Bruce, "what did you do?"

"Tony, please, just relax, breathe, come on buddy."

But Tony felt a huge pressure on his chest, a roaring in his ears. His suit was gone, F.R.I.D.A.Y. was listening to Bruce, J.A.R.V.I.S. had gone behind his back. His world was getting smaller, what the hell? He was so heavy, he was being pushed down, he was going to sink right through the floor. The world finally turned into a tiny circle of light surrounded by dark and then that went out too.

Pepper was sobbing holding on to Tony's hand, Bruce was getting a syringe which he injected into the IV line that went into Tony's arm and Happy was marching over to put his arms around Pepper.

Tony's one eye had rolled back into his head, his body arched, his mouth gasped as he tried to pull in oxygen. As soon as the drugs hit his bloodstream he collapsed back on the mattress, panting, wheezing. He still struggled against the restraints but now he was much weaker.

Bruce put a hand on Tony's shoulder, now he spoke quietly, firmly as he knelt down to his friends ear. "Longer breaths, in and out, breath in, one, two, three, hold for one, two, out for one, two, three, four. Come on Tony, listen to my voice." Bruce spoke over and over, the same words, the same tone. Over and over. Two minutes, five, then ten until finally Tony was breathing closer to normal. 

Until he opened his one eye and turned his head to look at Bruce. Staring into his friends eyes he quietly said, "fucker."

Bruce nodded. "I know."

"Sit up." Tony closed his eye, "please." His voice was still low, too quiet for Pepper and Happy to hear.

Bruce toggled the switch, raising the bed. "Okay?" Tony nodded, he was sitting nearly upright.

Eyes tightly closed, fists clenching he spoke carefully, "untie me."

No one spoke but after a long few seconds he felt first Bruce then Pepper's hands unbuckling the restraints. Once his hands were free he raised them above his head and pulled a pillow out from under his head and covered his face with it, turning on his side. Facing Pepper, his back to Bruce.

Pepper put her hand on his shoulder and he shrugged her hand off. Her lips trembled and she covered her mouth but she took a deep breath and forced herself to say, "I'll be right over here Tony. Waiting for you when you wake up."

Happy stepped up, "Tony. Are you just gonna give up? You're Tony fucking Stark, not some weak ass little shit. Everyone's been here for hours waiting for you to wake up and tell us what happened. Not man the fuck up and start talking, boss."

Pepper looked at Happy in shock, even Bruce seemed stunned. She raised her voice, "Happy, you can't say things like that to him. Not when he's like this!"

"Yeah, it's probably not the right thing to say. Hell, I don't know what the right thing to say is. But I know for a fact that treating him like this," he waved his arms around, taking in F.R.I.D.A.Y. and the restraints, "is absolutely the wrong thing. He's the same Tony today as he's always been, the egotistical asshole that we all love. "Tony snorted under the pillow. "Tying him up like some crazy bastard because you think he tried killing himself obviously didn't make anything better."

Tony pulled the pillow off his head to glare at Happy, "I didn't try to kill myself."

They all stared at him for a moment then Bruce swallowed, "yeah Tony, ya did."

Tony turned his head, "no I didn't. Is that what this is all about?" He rolled back over wincing as his stiches pulled. Bruce came over and held out a hand and helped pull Tony over. Once he was back upright Bruce tucked the pillow behind his head.

Bruce's voice was soft, "Tony you told me you flew into India."

"So?" Lines formed around his mouth as he pressed his lips together for a moment. "I crashed. Into India. Crashed. There's a difference."

Bruce shook his head, his voice solid and unwavering, "No, no you didn't just crash. You would have drilled yourself into the ground. except J.A.R.V.I.S. created a Protocol that prevented you from using the suit to commit suicide. F.R.I.D.A.Y. just happened to access it when she was trying to find a way to stop you from making a Tony sized hole in the ground." Bruce and Tony stayed visually locked together. "Even still you ended up in this condition." He motioned to Tony in the hospital bed.

Tony broke away from Bruce to Pepper. "No. No I did not try to kill my self." He was trying to convince his lover that he hadn't tried to commit suicide. That he had no intent to leave her.

"Tony-"

His head snapped around and his voice was like an expertly wielded whip. "Bruce, I have tried enough times to kill myself that if I say I wasn't trying, you can believe me. " Pepper let out a noise between a squeak and a sob and Tony turned to her. He realized how his words hurt her. His face contracted, his lips twisted. He held out his arms and she crashed into them. Tony rubbed her back and patted her head. He had no idea what to say to her. How to fix this."Come on Pep, you're getting my pretty gown all wet and wrinkly." He kissed the side of her face, pulling her head back to smile at her even though it was wobbly and they both knew it was forced. "Let Happy walk you upstairs, you get some rest and then we can talk. You look like you need some sleep. Out of the two of us I'm pretty sure I look less like death warmed over. "

Pepper scowled at him, "Tony, its not a joke. Please don't joke. I can't joke about losing you. Please." Tony and Pepper rested their foreheads together, eyes closed. It was a moment between lovers that wasn't meant to be shared.

Happy was looking stunned. He had never thought Tony had meant to die. All those times Happy had scraped Tony out of some misadventure he had always thought it was just Tony's luck that had saved him. Now he realized it had just been a play of the odds that Tony hadn't succeeded. No matter how close he had come to death, Happy never believed Tony wanted to die.

Bruce just ached for his friend. Tony was intensely private. He didn't want anyone to know anything that went on inside his head. His thoughts were his only real retreat that no one could take a picture of, sell to a tabloid or make fun of. They were the only things that were protected.

Tony's eyes filled with unshed tears, he nodded and kissed her hard. "Okay, okay, no jokes." He wrinkled his nose, "you might want to take a shower though. You smell funny. Or is that me? Could be me. Seems like I remember goats." Pepper tried to be angry but just swatted at him with a trembling smile as she stood up. "Abuse, my nurse is hitting me. And not the good kind, either." She brushed her tears away and let Happy lead her out. 

Tony and Bruce watched until Pepper and Happy went out the door and disappeared past the glass windows towards the elevators. Once they were gone the two men looked at each other in silence until Bruce asked, "Are we good, Tony?"

"No Bruce. No we are not good."

Lexie sat on the floor, her back against the bed and since Loki wasn't using the pillow she was sitting on it. She may have had extra padding on her backside but the floor was still hard. She was reading her paperback, it was a worn book of favorite poems and short stories that she could pick up and start reading from anywhere.

Occasionally Loki would make the slightest sound in his sleep, a whisper of a word and she would turn to look over her shoulder at him. Other than his eyes moving he was still. After several hours she again heard a faint sound but this time it was a rustling, cloth on cloth. A moment later there was the lightest touch on her head.

Slowly she turned, as she did she felt her hair running through his hands. She found herself at eye level with him, his eyes were bloodshot, he still looked exhausted. He was staring at her hair as he slowly twisted it around his fingers. She watched as he blinked, he looked far away in his thoughts. His eyes went to her face, they widened slightly, his lips pulled apart.

His voice was raspy with sleep, "do I know you?"

Lexie shook her head, "No, you don't know me."

Loki frowned and closed his eyes, then he pushed himself up, letting her hair slip from his fingers as he sat against the wall. He shook his head, deeper lines etching into his brow as he pressed his lips together tighter. He brought his hands up and tapped his palms against his forehead.

He started hitting himself harder and Lexie got to her knees, "No, stop that. Don't hit yourself." She reached for his wrists but didn't touch him. "Loki, stop,"

He opened his eyes, he glanced at her hands then pointed past them to put his finger in her face, "you, you." He used the same hand to roughly pat the top of his head. He kept eye contact with her.

Lexie sighed, "okay, one syllable, the word you. And then you point to your head. So you mean me, me and your head." She nodded, "okay, you dreamed about me? Is that it?" Lexie pointed to herself then to Loki's head. 

Loki dropped his head into his hands and deeply sighed. 

Muttering, "this game's no fun if I never know if I get it right," she climbed to her feet and picked up the thermos, spoon and napkins. She pulled the trash can closer then sat on the edge of the bed. At the noise Loki opened his eyes, they filled with curiosity. He watched as she carefully unscrewed the thermos and poured the broth into the lid. Setting the thermos on the floor she put the spoon in the lid and looked to Loki.

His nostrils moved as he smelled the broth, he pushed back on the bed against the wall and his long legs folded up to his chest. He looked from the broth to Lexie's face then back to stare at the broth, his lips pressed firmly together.

"You need to eat something." She stirred the liquid. "There's nothing in this, no seasoning, just the bone, slow cooked."

"No eat."

"Why don't you want to eat?"

Loki's fingers twisted the blankets, "no eat."

"Why?"

His eyes narrowed, his jaw jutted forward, then a finger stabbed out to point at the broth, "No. Eat."

Lexie wrinkled her nose, scrunched one eye closed and pursed her lips as she tried to think of something, anything, that would be something he could understand. It had to be words that he had used, in the context he had used them in. She watched him, he was tense, glancing at her every few seconds. Finally she had an idea.

"Do you know me?" He seemed to trust her when he asked if he knew her. Well if she asked if he knew her, he should have to trust her when he said that he didn't.

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Then he swallowed, looked away quickly then back at her.

"Loki, do you know me?" She demanded.

"I don't know you." His words floated out between nearly still lips.

"You don't know me?" Her tone was almost accusing.

"I don't know you." He took a short breath, then another while his tongue darted out to lick his cracked lips.

Lexie picked up a small amount of liquid in the spoon, blew on it and brought it up to his mouth and met his eyes. "Eat."

She watched as his eyes seemed to try to pull away from hers but kept coming back. His throat convulsed, till he opened his mouth and she put the tiny amount in his mouth. He swallowed. his eyes closed. Lexie had her hand near the trash basket in case he started to vomit but other than swallowing quickly several times, he had no other reaction.

He opened his eyes, there were faint lines on his brow, his lips were in a hard line. He watched as she dipped the spoon again but she didn't lift it. After stirring a few dozen times she lifted a small amount, blew on it and brought it towards his mouth but he turned his head. "No. Eat."

Lexie couldn't help but give a small huff, "Yes you will eat. Come on, one more spoonful, that's all."

Loki turned his head to look at her when he heard her, he repeated, "no eat." It came out less of a command and more as a wish.

"You need to eat. I know there's a reason you don't want to, I understand that. But I can't help you any other way. I can't give you an IV, I can't give you magic, I can't-"

"NO magic." Loki's voice was adamant. His body language changed to one of tightness. He showed the faint golden lines on his forearms, slapping at them, "off. Off." He held his forearms out to her.

Lexie shook her head, "I can't take them off, there's nothing I can do about them."

Loki huffed and glared at her. His arms pulling his legs closer to his chest.

Lexie held out the spoon to his mouth, "no magic. Eat."

Looking at her through narrowed eyes he slowly leaned his head forward and took the spoon into his mouth. His eyes stayed locked on hers and Lexie found it very intimidating for reasons she wasn't even going to think about. "Yeah, this isn't going to give me some freaky dreams."

They fell into a pattern, Loki would tell her he wasn't going to eat, Lexie would tell him one more spoonful and Loki would eat it while staring at her. There were long pauses in-between as she made sure that it was going to stay down. During this time Loki reached out and grabbed a strand of her hair, twisting it in his fingers, just staring at it.

"What's with you and my hair? I know you've seen a woman's hair before, and your hair's long enough to mess with too so that's not it." She went to tug it from his fingers and he grunted while his eyes sharpened at her. "Really?" She gave a self conscious huff, and pulled again. He leaned forward an inch and growled. Lexie's eyebrows shot up. "Did you really just, growl at me?" Her lips twitched into a grin. "We are going to have to work on you using your words. Growling will get you smacked with a newspaper." She chuckled and muttered, "probably like it." He went back to rubbing her hair with his fingers ."Why in the world are you so fascinated with my hair?" She pulled on it again.

"Mine." It was a low rumble but clearly spoken. His fingers clenched around the strand, his eyes slits with that bright green shining out.

"Well that's certainly using a word. However, this hair happens to be on my head which makes it mine. Your hair is yours."

Loki leaned forward, he jabbed a finger at her hair in his other hand, "mine." Then without looking he pointed at the now cold broth, "eat." He arched an eyebrow and his eyes became wide open and innocent.

Lexie's mouth dropped open, then she couldn't help herself. She laughed. He looked confused which made her laugh harder which made her snort which made her laugh even more. She finally saw that he actually looked hurt which abruptly stopped her laughing but didn't wipe the smile from her face. "Oh my god you're too much, Loki." She wiped at her eyes. "Okay, you win." She pointed to his fingers which through it all hadn't let go of her hair, "yours." She pointed to him and back to her hair, "yours. But you have to eat." She pointed to the broth.

Loki leaned back, his eyes glittered with victory and he spoke with a smirk, "eat."

Tony sat on the couch near the wall of windows, Bruce sat across from him in a large chair. While Tony sat back, the IV pole next to him, Bruce sat on the edge of his chair, elbows resting on his knees while he tensely clasped his hands. He kept his head up though, meeting Tony's stony expression with his own wide open one.

"So tell me why you thought tying me down was a good idea."

Bruce blinked then let out a deep breath, "I didn't know what your mental state was going to be when you woke up. Because of your actions, we didn't know-"

"I didn't! Damn it, Bruce, I told you I did not try to kill myself. How many times do I have to repeat myself?" Tony's eyes were hard, glittering with righteous anger.

Bruce sat with no reaction for a long moment. His chin rested on the back of his hands. Finally he spoke quietly, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., show the video from the point we agreed on."

In the air in front of Tony a video began to play, it was from Tony's point of view with F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice over. Tony watched with an uncertain scowl that slowly turned to confusion. Bruce didn't watch the video, he watched Tony's face. They heard F.R.I.D.A.Y. tell him about his maximum altitude, about his speed, his need to turn or slow. He read the gages, heard the warning alarms, watched the red limit lines max out. He understood the information he was taking in. Tony saw the earth grow closer, the coast of India become clearer until the countryside was rushing up at terrifying speed.

Bruce remained still and silent. He watched the confusion spread over Tony's face. He watched Tony's eyes dart over the readings, he saw the information be absorbed. He watched as his friends hands came together, one hand roughly squeezing the other.

Tony watched and listened. He felt like he wasn't breathing. His eyes stayed locked on the video until the end when F.R.I.D.A.Y. took full control of his suit, his head had fallen forward and he was on his way back across the world. The video disappeared and there was silence except for the sound of Tony's breathing. It sounded loud and harsh even to his own ears.

Tony shook his head, his eyes meeting Bruce's in horror, "that's not what happened. I swear to you, Bruce, that is not what happened. I swear, I swear to you." His voice trailed off.

Bruce nodded but still didn't speak. He just remained still, his eyes on Tony.

Finally his voice came out an uncertain whisper, "It wasn't like that at all. It was, nothing like that. It wasn't nearly that fast." Tony blinked rapidly, "I just needed to get out, to clear my head. Everything was so loud and I needed to think. Just a few minutes of quiet and I could solve all the problems. I could," he struggled for the words. "I could see what I had missed." Tony couldn't meet Bruce's eyes, he was so damn good, just waiting patiently for Tony. He wasn't angry, he just sat there listening, not judging. "I missed something. S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra. I missed something that I should have seen. Then, there was Lexie." Tony closed his eyes and threw a hand over them.

"What about her?"

Tony took a breath, "she came to me. That whole incident with Loki. At first I was okay. Angry but okay. I went to sleep and I was okay but then I woke up and I was furious with myself for letting it happen. I should have seen it coming."

"You couldn't have seen that one coming, Tony. No one could have."

Tony looked at Bruce. "Well I should have. And I went off on her. Then I just left. I couldn't, just be there. I had to go." Tony rubbed his forehead. "I went up. I don't know why. I was just trying to find a quiet place. Just for a damn minute. That's all I needed. Then, I was coming down. Everything was quiet. It was silent. And I finally could think." Tony frowned, remembering, "I was watching the ground, it was so damn beautiful." He looked to Bruce, "but it was coming up slow. I swear Bruce, it wasn't like that. It wasn't that fast. And I never heard F.R.I.D.A.Y., I never heard her say anything."

His palms came up to press into his eyes and he leaned forward, nearly bent double. Bruce slowly rose and came to sit beside his friend. He put a hand on Tony's back. "I'm gonna help you, okay buddy? This time I'm not gonna let you tell me you're okay or that everything's better. You don't get to lock yourself in the garage and not come out for days." Tony nodded but didn't raise his head. "I gotta tell you though, one way I'm gonna help you is to find the right combination of medication."

Tony gasped and pulled away from Bruce to turn and look at him. There was a firmness in his tone but it was based on fear. "No, no Bruce. I don't do pills, I can't do pills. I tried them before and it just made everything worse. They killed me but left me alive." He tried to get up, "No, I won't do that again. No, no, I won't. I won't let you make me. No." There was a desperation seeping in to his voice.

Bruce painfully gripped Tony and refused to let him get up. His expression never changed, "Tony, do you trust me?"

Tony's head snapped around to face Bruce. His voice was low and angry. "That's not fair. Don't do that. Don't you do that." 

"Do. You. Trust me?"

Tony's shoulders slumped, "don't ask me that, you know I do. But, this is different."

"No it's not. I would never make you do anything that would hurt you or make your life worse. Let me help you, Tony. I can do this for you." Tony was pressing his palms into his eyes. His body twitched forward in a rocking motion. Bruce squeezed Tony's shoulders. "Let me at least try."

Tony shook his head. Everything in his mind was screaming not to agree to this. Not to trust Bruce. "You know I trust you with my life, you know that. Ask for anything else. Yoga. Meditation. I'll even go hunt down my first born child for you. But this," he moved his hands from his face to tap his forehead while turning to look at Bruce, "This is my mind. You're asking for my mind, Bruce. You're asking to take control of my thoughts. For me to give you, me. I don't have any thing else. It's all I have. My mind."

Bruce's voice was gentle, "but do you, Tony? Do you really have it?" 

Tony felt like his head was floating toward the ceiling while the rest of his body was falling through the floor. His pupils contracted. His reflexes kicked in, one hand grabbed the arm of the couch, the other grabbed Bruce's shoulder while his feet kicked out. "Falling," he panted. "Falling."

"No you're not, you're sitting. You're not falling. You're sitting right here. Just take a breath, just like before." Once more Bruce talked Tony through his anxiety attack. A steady voice and a firm hand on him, keeping him grounded in reality until his vision came back, his sense of where he was.

Every time Tony thought of letting a little pill take control of his mind he felt like he would be nothing but a suit. No real Tony inside, just wires and circuits controlled by Protocols and programs. He would be like J.A.R.V.I.S. or F.R.I.D.A.Y. Controlled by chemicals that would decide what his limits were. A pill instead of ones and zeros. But he also knew that his mind wasn't trust worthy. Not after having watched that video. Seeing the playback contrast so sharply with his memory had deeply disturbed him. It had told him his reality was altered and untrustworthy. In this room there was only one person whose reality could be trusted. So he nodded even though it terrified him. He leaned forward in defeat, groaning, "do it."

They both sat on the bed, backs against the wall, side by side. Lexie had one leg stretched out in front of her, the other bent slightly. She was reading one of the other books, a mystery she hadn't read before. Occasionally she would hum, sing or move her head to the music coming from her phone which Loki was holding in one hand.

He sat cross legged, staring intently at the phone screen as he repeatedly went through the photos and videos on her phone. His other hand still absently held her hair, running it around his fingers. At last he lowered the phone and stared ahead.

Lexie lowered the book, "Finally finished?" She reached for it and he grunted and moved his hand slightly. "Oh heck no. My hair is one thing, my phone is completely different." She leaned forward enough to catch his eyes, "mine." Her voice left no doubt of her seriousness and when she reached out to take it from his hand he scowled but let her. "Thank you."

She turned to face him more squarely, setting her book aside. "Okay, let's work on trying to communicate a little more." She pointed to herself, "I'm Lexie. Lexie. Can you say my name? Lexie." She pointed to herself.

He watched her point to her chest, a frown on his face as his eyes moved from her face and back to her finger. Without warning his hand reached forward, a finger caught the V of her t shirt and pulled it out while his head came forward so he could look down her shirt.

She slapped a hand on her shirt, pulling it from his grasp while pushing him back, "no! Not my boobs! Jeezus Loki!" Her face felt on fire while he just stared at her in annoyed confusion. She closed her eyes, pinched her lips together while trying to control her embarrassment. When she opened her eyes he was still looking at her in annoyance. "Okay, eyes up here." Now she pointed to her face, "I'm Lexie. Lexie." There was no sign of understanding. She used a hand to encircle her whole body on the bed, "me, Lexie."

There was a blink and then slowly a shift in his expression as he seemed to grasp what she was trying to tell him. His mouth quirked up, he pointed to her, "I don't know you."

Lexie leaned her head on his shoulder in frustration. "No, you don't know me."

His shoulder shrugged and his hands pushed her back, now he looked at her with something nearing contempt, "I don't know you." When she just looked at him, he poked her chest with a pointed finger, "I don't know you."

Possible understanding began to dawn on her face, "is that what you call me? I don't know you?" Loki looked satisfied and leaned back against the wall. "How in the world is that easier than just calling me Lexie?" 

His head turned and he gave her sideways glance then gave a huff and picked up her phone. He shook it slightly but it had timed out and though the music was still softly playing the screen was dark. He grunted and handed it to her. 

Lexie ignored it. "How about this one." She pointed to his chest. "Loki." He looked at her blankly and tried to put the phone in her hand. She moved her hand away. "Loki." She put her finger to his chest and left it there. He looked down at her finger then raised his head enough to look at her. Her lips twitched. "Hey, you looked down my shirt. Loki." He slipped the phone into her hand and refused to let her drop it. There was still no recognition to his name. "Loki. Loki Odinson."

A darkness came over his face, his mouth tightened, his lips turned down as his eyes hardened. He pushed her hand away, his hand dropped from her hair and phone as he hissed out, "No Odin!" He pushed himself from the bed and was towering over Lexie as he clenched his fists, "no Odin!"

Lexie got off the bed as well, she did not want him standing over her while he seemed to be getting more angry. Though she wasn't scared, she didn't feel his anger was directed at her, she still needed to be on her feet. He began pacing in tight circles, fists going from the sides of his head to in front of his body.

"Okay, no Odin. We can get rid of Odin, never say his name again." Lexie watched as Loki pressed his fingers into the side of his head.

He was trying to talk, she could see him struggle to find the words or concepts he needed. He turned to look at her, frustration, anguish and anger all warring for dominance on his face. "Odin," he struggled then closed his eyes and screamed from deep inside, "ODIN!" It was a cry of rage and pain and he pushed it out with every muscle he had, nearly doubling over to do it.

Lexie stood still. She had never been physically near anyone having this level of emotion. She had no idea what to do. It was a raging pain that she couldn't guess where it came from. She had never been this angry. This hateful. And how could any one recover from this depth of hatred?

Even this scream didn't empty Loki's emotions. He started pacing again, "Odin," he growled out while bringing his hands together as if he were strangling that powerful god. At last other words began to be pushed past clenched teeth, "watcher. Waiting." Loki's head was down, "liar!" Loki slapped a hand against the side of his head, "thief. Broken." He spun to point a finger at Lexie. "Not father. Liar. Liar. Thief. Stolen." He shook his head and went back to pacing in front of the wall, muttering, growling and groaning out in pain. "Break. No break!"

Lexie hadn't come up with any idea's of what to do for him. He was working himself into what could be a breakdown, she had to redirect him. She felt guilty because she had been the one to say Odinson, she had been teasing and had never expected this reaction. "Loki, Loki." She tried calling his name loud enough to get his attention then moved in front of him causing him to abruptly stop rather than run her over.

Loki stared down at her as if she had randomly materialized in front of him. His mouth relaxing, his eyes widening, he took quick breaths before grinding out, "Odin liar. Watcher. Punisher." 

"What's he watching?"

Loki's eyes slid away from her. "Forbidden." His voice was low.

Lexie frowned, "It's forbidden to tell me?"

"Forbidden. Pleasure, pain. Twisted bodies. Pleasure." Loki gave an angry cry. "Gardens. Mother's gardens." He sounded insulted. "Odin." Loki turned and put his palm against his temple, pushing hard. "Odin watches. Garden."

Lexie raised her hands up and forward. "Okay. So Odin watches from the garden? Your mother's garden? He watches, something that's, forbidden. Something that's not supposed to be going on. Something, that you're doing?" Loki looked guilty, his eyes moving away from Lexie's face. "Okay, something involving pain, pleasure and twisted bodies." Lexie raised an eyebrow. "Oookay. So. Would you, um, be having sex in your mother's garden?"

He reached out and took her by the shoulders, his eyes intense, he bent low to stare at her while his throat worked at getting the words out. "Killed them. Killed them all." 

Lexie swallowed. "You killed everyone?" She couldn't seem to tear her eyes from Loki's. She whispered, "Who is everyone?"

Loki slowly shook his head, "Everyone." His expression shifted to pleading. "Stop. Odin. Stop. Watching." His hands dropped, his shoulders hunched and his body slowly folded to his knees. "Out. Out." His head sank forward to rest on the floor. "No break. No break." His hands came to the back of his neck and locked together. "Out. Out. Stop. Watching. Stop." His voice was pleading.

Lexie wiped at a tear she felt running down her face. Sitting on the floor at his head she started running her hands through his hair. He didn't flinch at her touch, he just reached out, wrapped his long arms around her and slid her body towards him then rested his head on her lap. Slowly he rolled on his side and she saw his face, he looked dazed. His breathing slowed then became concerning as the time between each breath seemed to lengthen. He finally seemed to find a rhythm. He stared out, blinking slowly.

Lexie gently pulled at the tangles in his hair, using both hands to slowly try to work them apart. He had grabbed his hair so often that it had knots in it and was getting matted from sweat and blood. It needed to be washed, he actually needed to take a shower but she wasn't sure how she would handle getting that done. She had to be honest with herself. Whatever kind of relationship this had started out as, maybe as just the chef to a crazy god, it had absolutely changed. Overwhelmingly so.

Lexie felt more tears running down her face as she thought of what Loki had gone through. Just the physical things she had seen were horrific. Mouth and eyes sown shut. Who does that? Starving Loki to this point and making him reluctant to even eat. Then there was the fact that he couldn't even speak in sentences or find the right words. She kept swiping at her eyes until finally she pulled the hem of her shirt up to wipe at them while trying not to just start ugly crying. When she dropped her shirt Loki was looking up at her.

Her eyes closed, to no one she said out loud, "you either get a free show down my shirt or up it." 

She opened her eyes with a wobbly smile and another tear slipped out. His hand came close to her face. He gently used a finger to touch her cheek, wiping at the tear. His green eyes still looked tired and slightly glassy but he quietly said, "no." He shook his head. "No." 

Lexie gave a sloppy huff, "you are not the boss of me."


	11. Chapter 11

Vision and F.R.I..A.Y. were the first to be aware that someone had accessed Stark Towers through an emergency tunnel, entered a code and summoned a rear elevator. Vision came down through the ceiling to the medical floor, startling everyone.

Tony took a deep breath which made his stiches pull so he put a hand on his incision while grimacing. Pepper put her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently.

Bruce spoke, hand on his chest. "shit, Vis, you need to use the door."

"I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to startle any one, it's just that-"

F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted. "Boss, Cap, Sam, Romanoff and Barton have entered the building." Vision gave an annoyed glance towards the ceiling. "I've told them you're all here." A slight pause, "Doctor Banner, Sam has requested medical attention for Captain Rogers."

At that moment Nat came jogging into view, she pulled the med door open with one hand while holding Steve's shield in the other. Sam and Clint came into view with Steve walking slowly between them, his arms over their shoulders. His head was hanging down.

Bruce called out while hurrying over, "closest bed, guys. What happened?

Steve raised his head and gave a pained grin, "nothing." His face had fading bruising around his eyes and cheeks and a nearly healed gash near his mouth. 

Sam grunted as they pulled and pushed Steve onto the bed, "Discharged against doctors advice, that's what happened. Couldn't wait another couple days."

"I told you Sam," Steve closed his eyes as he laid back and took a deep breath, "I can recover anywhere. Besides," he opened his eyes to look over at Tony who gave him a grin and a thumbs up, "looks like there's been some action here. What happened?"

"Long story." Bruce said while lifting Steve's shirt that had blood on the front of it. "One that you're going to hear, just not this minute. What the hell happened at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Steve and Sam exchanged looks, Sam raised his hands before crossing his arms, "don't look at me. This is your crazy ass story to tell. I was just there trying not to die."

From across the room Tony yelled as loud as his stiches would let him, "hey, I can't hear story time. Wheel Spangles over here and we'll have snacks." Tony smiled up at Pepper, "do you mind?"

"I know, Avenger business. Top secret spy stuff." She leaned over and kissed him.

Tony kissed her back with a grin, "yeah, but I still want snacks. I'm starving. I think my nurse is slacking or else someone ate my jello." He turned his head as Steve was wheeled over. Bruce had unbuttoned Steve's shirt and was wiping at his stiches with gauze. Tony noticed Nat looking down at Steve's body appreciatively then he looked up at Pepper who also seemed awestruck. "Hey, not that kind of snack." When she didn't seem to hear him he poked her in the stomach. Hard.

"Hmm, what?" She looked down at Tony blankly then remembered, "oh, yeah. Snacks, yeah." She glanced again at Steve, flustered she looked away, "okay, snacks, be back."

Tony glared at Steve who was studiously looking off into the distance, a picture of innocence. Bruce had gotten a suture kit and was replacing several popped stiches. There was quiet until Pepper left the room then Clint slowly let out the snicker he had been holding back. 

Tony frowned, "Not funny, Barton."

Which made Sam start chuckling and even Nat smirked as she came over next to Tony's bed and gave him a peck on the check, "oh come on Tony. Where's that famous sense of humor?" She set the shield on the foot of Steve's bed then sat at the foot of Tony's bed, her legs stretched out next to him, crossed at the ankle.

"So tell the story." Tony demanded.

Steve flinched as Bruce pulled the last stich tight, "sorry, man. All done. Now you just need to stay put for at least a day to let the rest of that heal up. Hey F.R.I.D.A.Y., get me all of Steve's medical records from the hospital. Put it on the private medical server."

"Boss already had me transfer it over."

Everyone looked at Tony who shrugged, "what?"

Bruce frowned, "Tell me you didn't read it."

Tony shrugged, "I was bored." He looked to Steve, "you got your ass kicked Rogers. I hope the other guy didn't walk away."

Bruce's hands went to his hips. He glared. "You can not just read peoples medical records, Tony."

Tony didn't look away from Steve, "okay, truth is, I was worried." There was no joking in his tone. "It takes a lot to put Cap down." He shrugged and finally looked to Bruce. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't gonna leave me in charge of this rag tag band of misfits. There. Happy now?"

There was silence till Clint said in a overly dramatic tone with fake tears, "oh my gosh, Tony. That has to be the nicest thing you've ever said. And it only cost you a small piece of your soul."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Barton, no more arrows that go boom."

Clint threw his hands up in mock surrender, "no, no, I'm sorry, please not that."

There were grins all around then everyone settled down and looked to Steve. His smile slid off his face as he started to remember. "I know who the Winter Soldier is." He looked up and met Tony's eyes, "it's Bucky."

Nat's eyes widened slightly. Only Clint noticed.

Tony gave his head a hard shake and his mouth dropped half open. His eyes flickered to Sam who met his and gave a single nod. "Impossible." Then in the next breath he asked, "How?"

Steve shrugged, "all I can think is that when he was captured by Zola and tortured they also experimented on him. Whatever they did," Steve shook his head, "helped him survive that fall. And then end up in Hydra's hands."

There was silence as everyone thought about this, and what it meant for their friend. Tony was the first to speak up, "you didn't fight him." He pointed a finger at Steve. "That's why you ended up like this." It was an accusation.

Steve's mouth turned down, he gave several quick shakes of his head, "I couldn't fight him, Tony. He's my brother. What they did to him, it's not right and what he did, wasn't his fault. He had no choice. They took over his mind, tortured him and forced him to do their dirty work." Steve clenched his jaw. "I can't hold him responsible for what he didn't even know he was doing."

Tony closed his eyes, resting his head back on his pillow. He absently rubbed at his chest. He didn't like to be reminded of his own torture. It made him feel weak and helpless. His hands came together and he squeezed one with the other.

Bruce held one arm close to himself. Exhaling a deep breath he gave a shaky smile, "can this day get any worse?"

Nat slapped Bruce's arm. "Jinx much?"

Steve exhaled loudly then looked at Bruce, his lips pressed into a hard line.

Bruce rubbed his arm while catching Steve's expression, "No, come on, man. Really? What else?"

Tony opened his eyes and lifted his head, looking from Steve to Sam who was still standing with his arms folded, eyes looking down. Tony's eyes went to Steve but Steve's eyes went to Clint, "I'm sorry."

Clint had been standing with his arms folded, now he looked at Steve confused. "What? What happened?"

Steve now looked to Nat, "Natasha, I'm so sorry. But, Fury is dead."

She held his gaze, her only reaction was a swallow, "did you see it happen?" Her voice was unemotional, a simple question to gather information.

"I did." Sam spoke up. Everyone's eyes went to him. "Fury had just shot Pierce and Rumlow shot Fury."

Bruce, Clint and Tony all reacted at the same time.

"Pierce?

"What the fuck?"

"Who shot Rumlow?"

The last question was asked by Clint and Sam answered, "Hill. She had just gotten there with Carter. We got Fury out and downstairs into a car, but-." Sam shook his head, "Hill tried CPR, first aid, he was gone." Sam looked to Nat, "I'm sorry."

Nat said nothing. She gracefully swung off the bed and headed for the exit. Clint turned to follow her but stopped at Steve's bed, "we're gonna need more details."

Steve nodded, "Of course." 

They all watched as Clint jogged to catch up with Nat who was just passing Pepper as she was coming in with a basket. As soon as she entered she called out with a smile, "snacks?"

Lexie watched Loki's body jump slightly as his head jerked in her lap. He didn't wake up, he groaned in his sleep as he brought a hand up to his face. His legs moved, whatever his dream was, it had his body believing it was real and he was trying to move.

Loki had been Thanos prisoner in the cavern for only a short time when he was killed by being shot with bolts from crossbows. It had taken days for him to die, all the while being used as a target by several of Thanos children. They had first allowed him the freedom to run, his hands unbound. Still dressed in his tunic and leather breaches they provided only a slight protection from the razor sharp rocks he hid in and crawled through. 

The first two short bolts had entered into his abdomen and disappeared deep inside him until the metal feathers had caught and anchored into his skin. His screams were held back by the muzzle. He doubled over, the pain was unbelievable. Forcing himself to his feet he leaned against the walls, amazed he could still feel the pain of the rock slicing into his back. He forced his legs to move him into the darkness, like an animal seeking a hidden place to die.

It made no difference. Eventually the archers found him and drug him by a boot out to the open sand that already had so much blood soaked into it. Dropping his body on one side the two archers casually paced off a distance and began their target practice. Loki felt each bolt as it entered him, slowly realizing that they were avoiding his face, heart and lungs along with major blood vessels. Keeping him alive longer. Sometimes there were hours between strikes as they discussed different tactics.

Each time he was retrieved he would roll over and unthinkingly try to crawl away. He knew he wouldn't succeed but he refused to just lay there when he had the strength to move. Even an arms length was victory. He would take what he could.

The blue light of the portal appeared and Loki felt Thanos enter the cavern. Then he felt a shadow cross his closed eyes before a massive hand grabbed him by the back of his neck. He painfully brought his one working arm up so his hand could try to grab at it but he didn't have the strength to keep his hold.

Thanos smiled gently and shook Loki while holding him at arms length so he could admire his archers work. "Well little god. How do you feel?" His free hand came forward and a finger tip settled on the end of an arrow and wiggled it. Loki convulsed in pain. Thanos chuckled. He set Loki on his feet, removing his hand from his neck and seemed surprised when Loki swayed but remained standing, having widely planted and locked his legs.

Loki stared at Thanos. Then with all the speed and strength he could summon, he slapped Thanos' hand away from where it hovered near his face. He gave his most sneering expression that he could force into his eyes and took victory as he watched rage explode across Thanos' face.

The backhanded blow sent him sailing into the rock wall, shattering bones in his shoulder and arm. He felt the muscles in his neck stretch and tear as more pain overwhelmed him. He watched black sparks in his vision and had only one thought left. Green magic coiled in his hands and he heard Thanos roar in anger as at the same time he felt the black wires tighten and strangle him into darkness and welcomed a different type of pain.

Loki opened his eyes with a small noise of pain, shoulders hunched, pinched lines between his brows. He pushed himself up and cradled his head in his hands for a moment. He lowered them to scratch at his throat. They slowly fell into his lap.

Lexie let Loki sit up from having his head resting in her lap, he hadn't been asleep more than a half hour and she knew it hadn't been a restful sleep since he had spent the whole time twitching and jerking as a result of dreams. 

"Loki?" She got no reaction from his name but she wasn't expecting one. She wanted to remind him she was there beside him. He lifted his head up and stared straight ahead. Shoulders hunched, swaying slightly, he sat inches from her without acknowledging her. She scooted around to be in his view. 

His eyes were expressionless. They blinked slowly. His only real movement was his breathing which made his whole torso move as he slowly drew in each breath. 

"You've got to regain your strength. I'm getting you some more broth. You need calories, even a few is better than none. Okay?" She looked into his eyes, "I have to go but I'll be back." She expected some reaction from the word go but got nothing, not even an extra blink. She pulled her phone from her pocket and set it into his hands that were in his crossed legs. "Here, see, I'll be back for my phone." He didn't grasp it, it slid down to the floor between his legs.

She took a breath and rose to her feet, grabbed all the items she had brought with her and went out the cell door. Outside she looked back. The wall was still smeared in his blood from earlier, through it she watched him as he sat on the floor. He didn't watch her as she went to the elevator.

Once upstairs she was surprised to see it was dark outside, and she realized she was hungry. Putting the broth in a pan on low heat she looked through the freezer to find something to microwave. She found one of her favorites, a bowl of homemade mashed potatoes, gravy and roasted chicken. "Nope, lets just go with a sandwich. Less calories and easier to clean up." She grabbed everything she would need, making sure to stuff a disgusting amount of lettuce on it before cutting it in half. Opening a cabinet her hand hovered over a small bag of chips, she grabbed the bag then put it back then grabbed it again and closed the cabinet. "Uhhgh, self control girl." She threw the bag back in the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She ate quickly, thinking about the best way to get Loki to open up. He was confusing, obviously there were times when his thinking was clear. At least clear enough to try to manipulate her, with that smirk and eyes that sparkled. "Whoa, no thinking about sparkly eyes, nope." She shook her head, trying to clear that memory. "Don't be an idiot."

The broth was hot, she rinsed out the thermos, refilled it and got everything else she would need. She looked around the room, "what else? What else do I need?" She rolled her eyes, "bathroom break, yes." After a quick dash to the bathroom she then grabbed everything up in her arms and went back down to Loki. 

When she stepped out of the elevator she saw that he was sitting in the exact same position. She walked over to the wall, stopping in front of Loki. He had no reaction. She tapped the wall, nothing. She took her bottom lip between her teeth, biting it while frowning. 

Opening the door she sat on the floor facing Loki, their knees nearly touching. After setting everything on the floor next to her, she tentatively reached out and touched his knee, resting her hand on it.

At first there was no reaction. Then Loki's eyes looked at her hand. He stared at it for a long time before his hand slowly reached for it, a finger tracing the outline of it. 

Lexie pulled her eyes up from their hands to find herself looking right into Loki's eyes. The lost, dull look was gone, in its place was a searching one. 

His voice was nearly certain, only a slight question at the end even though he spoke a statement. "I don't know you."

Lexie had to force herself to move, to shake her head, to clear her throat several times before she could say, "no, no you don't know me." Damn green eyes.

He actually nodded and looked back to where his finger was still tracing hers. "I don't." He deeply sighed, his chin rested on his chest. 

Lexie reached for the thermos with her free hand. "You need to eat, Loki." There was no reaction from him so she pulled her hand from his and opened the thermos, poured some of the broth in the lid and dipped the spoon in it. When she took it out and blew on it he raised his head and watched her, his eyes still searching hers. She brought the spoon to his mouth, his eyes stayed focused on her face, he didn't open his mouth. "Loki, you need to eat. Come on, just one spoonful."

He gently shook his head, "no eat." There was no defiance. No demanding tone. Just a simple statement of fact.

"Why?"

Loki frowned, tilted his head and pressed his lips together for a moment, "hurts."

Lexie put the spoon back in the broth. He had answered her. Really answered her. Excitement jumped inside her but she forced her face to remain neutral. "Okay. Does it hurt when you swallow the broth now?" Loki looked at her with that slightly puzzled expression and Lexie mentally kicked herself, she'd used too many words. "Does it hurt now?" She pointed to the broth, "this hurts?"

He looked down at it, then shook his head. "No." He looked thoughtful when he whispered, "before."

"It wont hurt now." Looking at him he made no sign he heard her. "Please try. It wont hurt you. Just try a spoonful now." She looked to see if he would agree but there was no reaction from him so she went through the now familiar motions of filling the spoon, cooling it and bringing it to his mouth.

Sitting unmoving except for his eyes Loki looked from the spoon to Lexie then back to the spoon. His expression best described as thoughtfully exhausted. His sigh was small before he leaned forward and delicately accepted the spoonful, Lexie bringing up the linen napkin to catch any drops but of course there were none. As he swallowed he closed his eyes and clenched his jaws.

"Don't remember, just look at me. Loki, look at me. What ever happened before isn't happening now." When he opened his eyes one side of her lips lifted into a smile. "See? Did that hurt?" He just stared at her expressionless. "Just one more spoonful."

"No more." Now his voice sounded firm.

Lexie nodded, her tone agreeable, "Okay, no more after this last spoonful. Then you're done." She brought the waiting spoon to his mouth, ignoring how one eye squinted at her.

"No more."

"Right. No more, last one." She brought the spoon right to his lips and he took it. Now she smiled larger. "Thank you." Dipping the spoon back in she continued, "after this we're going to figure out how to get you showered." She brought the spoon to his mouth.

"No."

"Got it, no more broth, right after this one you'll be finished. And we can work on getting you cleaned up. A change of clothes." She brought the spoon to his lips, "last spoon full, one more."

Loki didn't open his mouth. His eyes studied her face, looking so intently at her. She held his gaze until she saw his lips quirk and he brought something up into her vision. Her phone. "Open." And there was that damn eyebrow arching at her.

Lexie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, fine." She raised the spoon, "after this one I'll open the phone."

He looked at her with contemplation then took the offering while never breaking eye contact. He held the phone out to her and Lexie set the spoon down and unlocked the phone then pulled up her photos. She handed the phone back and when she brought him the next spoonful he took it without taking his eyes from the screen. 

It took nearly thirty minutes to finish the broth, Lexie waited longer between her offers towards the end because Loki became more hesitant to accept. She was wondering if he was getting full, she didn't want to force him, if he had of told her no she would have stopped. 

Lexie groaned as she slowly got to her feet, using the wall to keep her balance. "I have got to bring some comfy cushions down here if we're going to keep sitting on the floor." She set everything on the small table and stretched aching muscles. Arching her back she turned, "so about your shower-"

He was standing right behind her. She went to take a step back but because she had been turning her ankles were crossed and now she felt herself falling backwards. Loki reached out and easily caught her, his large hands on her shoulder blades. Lexie grabbed his arms, her reflex nothing she could control. She found herself slightly leaning back, looking up at him, sure her eyes were huge and her face once more flushing red.

She stuttered, "tha, thanks, uh, thanks for catch- for that." She swallowed, gulped really and tried to untangle her feet which didn't seem to obey her. She had to grab his arms tighter and look down until she got her feet in their right place. Once she was on solid footing she forced her hands to let go of his arms, again breathing out, "thank you." He didn't let her go even though she was no longer leaning back. Now she was actually closer to him. "Okay, you can, uh, let me go." She had to lean her head back to look up at him. She found it intense.

He looked at her with curiosity, again that head tilt then his hands slowly slid down her then away from her body. He towered over her, looking down at her, with those green eyes that for the first time were calm and not full of emotions. He reached out and slowly took a strand of her hair, pulling it forward, wrapping it several times around a single finger. 

Lexie did not want to think about her own mental state so she scrambled to think about Loki's mental state. This was the absolute calmest she had ever seen him and he was able to answer questions. If she wanted to get information, this was the time to try. And yet she hesitated. Saying Odin's name had set off a rage. What would saying the name of his torturer do? If she said the name Thanos, would he have a total melt down? She mentally shook her head. He wasn't strong enough yet. She wasn't going to go down that path. Not yet.

"Hey, how about a shower?"

The only ones in the med bay were Tony and Steve. Nat and Clint hadn't come back and Sam and Bruce had each gone off in separate directions. Pepper had left a few minutes ago to leave Tony and Steve alone to speak in privacy.

Their beds had had been placed so that they faced each other, about five feet apart, each one in the middle point of the others bed so they could talk normally. Steve and Sam had filled in more details about the fight and the betrayal by so many people they had worked with for so many years. The names just kept piling up. 

Pierce. The fucking Secretary of the fucking World Security Council for fucks sake.

Sitwell. He'd been involved in everything, an agent they had trusted.

Rumlow. Okay, well, he wasn't such a shock. He actually looked like a bad guy.

But how many others? Hill? Carter? Coulson? No. They had helped. But had they, really?

Tony shook his head, this was one reason why he had anxiety issues. And trust issues. Shifting in bed he took a breath to stop the pressure that was building, felt it ease just slightly. He had one knee up, which he was resting an elbow on while he used that hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He wasn't sure how in the world he was going to explain to Steve what had happened to him. He wasn't even sure if he could explain to himself what had happened. So Tony did what Tony did best. He deflected uncomfortable attention away from himself by asking questions.

"So, Winter Soldier is Barnes, huh? That's gotta be," He shrugged and opened his eyes wide, "confusing."

Steve looked at Tony at the understatement. "You have no idea. I thought he was dead. I saw him fall. I see it in my nightmares. I had no idea what was being done to him. Being turned into, an assassin for Hydra. Tortured." Steve looked down at his hands, flexing into fists before relaxing then doing it again. "I didn't even go search for him Tony."

Tony looked at Steve incredulously. "I guess he whacked you pretty hard over the head, huh?" Steve looked at Tony questioningly. "A guy falls off a train. Hundreds of feet down to a river. Middle of winter. Behind enemy lines. And you think you should have gone to double check he was dead?" Tony shook his head. "Don't be an idiot, Rogers." Tony laid his head back against his pillow. He really needed to get better quality pillows, these were not comfortable at all.

"I still should have-"

Tony raised his head and glared in a way only good friends can. "He was dead. Dead, Steve." When Steve went to open his mouth Tony talked right over him. "Dead. You friend was dead. He fell off a train. The fact that Hydra brought the Winter Soldier to life in his body doesn't change the fact that Barnes died that day." Tony's voice was hard, his eyes stared right into Steve's. "Stop feeling guilty for something you didn't even know was a possibility."

Steve slowly nodded while he spoke quietly, "Thanks Tony."

"You're welcome." Tony raised an eyebrow. "Even though you're going to totally ignore every single word, aren't you?"

Steve slowly smiled. Tony flipped him off and Steve looked a little surprised at the rude gesture. "But now that I know, it changes everything. I can't just leave him out there all by himself. I have to find him."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You can't just take him back to Brooklyn. He has to," Tony waved his hand in the air, "answer to someone."

"Yeah but to who? S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone. And I don't trust anyone, not any more. I'm not handing him over to some agency just to have them turn out to be Hydra. And even if they're legitimate, Bucky doesn't deserve to be locked up. He's already been a prisoner of Hydra."

Tony shrugged, closed his eyes and let his head settle back in the pillow. He was tired. He was also pretty sure Bruce was spiking his IV line with more than just a hydrating bag of saline solution. Pain killers for sure. Maybe something to keep him calm. Yeah, most likely -

"I'm going after him."

Tony nodded then opened one eye when he heard cloth rustling. Steve was sitting up, swinging his legs off the bed. "Wait!" Tony involuntarily sat full up, tensing his stomach muscles and pulling at his stitches. He winced and put his hand on his abdomen which Steve didn't see. "What? Now? You can't leave now!" Tony felt his heart rate jump painfully. One hand clenched the sheets.

Steve nodded. "I've been thinking about this. I've already lost so much time. First 70 years and now all this time being in the hospital. I have to go now before his trail goes cold. Colder." He looked to Tony, "I've already got Sam working on getting our gear."

"But, you're team leader. You've got to put everything back together. S.H.I.E.L.D.s gone, Fury's dead. Who the hell is going to fix this clusterfuck?"

Steve gave him a smile, "Tony, you just gave me one hell of a speech. I know you've got this."

"No, no. I don't got this, Steve. I don't got this at all." Tony watched Steve with panic filled eyes. "Steve. You know me. I'm irresponsible and immature. You can't leave me in charge of a dead fish."

Steve looked at Tony with a steady gaze. "You'll do fine, Tony." He moved to put a hand on Tony's shoulder, "I trust you Tony. You can handle this."

The door opened and Sam came in, walking with purpose. He handed Steve a shirt while saying, "all packed and ready to go. We might even have a lead." Sam rubbed his hands together with a grin that Steve returned with a smile.

Steve turned back to Tony, he held his hand out which Tony slowly reached out to take. "I have to do this Tony. He's my friend." Steve's blue eyes sparked with hope and excitement.

Tony nodded, blinking rapidly several times. "Okay, yeah. I understand." There were sparks of pain starting in his shoulders. He nodded, "go get him. Then bring him back. Here, to us."

Steve studied Tony, "You're offering him a place? You sure Tony?"

"You're right. There's no safe place for him right now. We don't know where Hydra is. Fury's gone." Tony felt a tingling in both hands that quickly moved up his arms to his shoulders. "So yeah, we can only trust each other for now." The tingling was in his neck. It itched. His face was itching.

Steve smiled, "thanks Tony. We'll contact you as soon as we have something."

Tony watched the two men walk out of the med bay, already talking and planning their direction of travel. He held his hands out, there were tremors in them and he made tight fists while whispering, "I got this, I got this." He felt it, pressure right behind the arc reactor. He dropped his head, putting his hands on the top of it and pushing down to keep it from floating away, it was getting light. "I got this, I got this." He felt nauseous. God, he'd eaten too many snacks. "I got this, I got this, I got this, I got- nope, nope. I don't got this. Don't got- F.R.I.D.A.Y., call Bruce." He was panting, turning on the bed, trying to burrow under something but there was nothing there. Sparks, bright sparks in his vision, no sound. His fingers were tingling painfully and he shook his fists, trying to get the feeling to stop. Why was it so quiet? He was pretty sure he was asking F.R.I.D.A.Y. to tell Bruce to hurry but he couldn't tell if he was saying it or thinking it. He couldn't hear. He grabbed at the bed to keep from floating to the ceiling. He was too light. Weightless.

He needed to find a place to hide until Bruce got there. Just for those few minutes. Just a place that when he started to float he wouldn't float out into space. He really didn't want to go out into space anymore. He needed to get up and find a place, any place that wasn't here.

Then he felt like he was falling, but again, that could have been another product of his mind except this time it hurt when he landed. A searing pain flared in his arm and it didn't stop.

Bruce was in his lab putting Tony's blood samples into the centrifuge to start finding out what chemicals Tony's body was making on its own. He would compare it with previous tests, hopefully getting an idea of what was going on with his friend and know at least where to start. He pulled a heads up display into the air and created a med file on Tony then made the security level so that only he or Strange could open it. It had a lock on it that would not allow F.R.I.D.A.Y. to let Tony override it and would send an alert to Bruce or Strange when he tried to. Because he would.

He leaned back against the counter and pulled his glasses off then carelessly tossed them behind him without looking. Rubbing his eyes he cracked his neck and tried to work the stress out of his shoulders. His mind wandered and he contemplated the ethics of sedating Tony just long enough for him to ask Strange to open a portal to that amazing meditation retreat in the mountains. Just for a couple hours. Bruce shook his head, god, that was, awful. And unethical. But still tempting.

Pulling himself back into reality he started adding notes to Tony's file when F.R.I.D.A.Y. broke in, for an AI her voice sounded pretty anxious, "Doctor, Boss is calling for you. He's having a anxiety attack with a panic episode. Elevated heart rate. Elevated oxygen levels. Elevated adrenaline levels."

Bruce turned and ran for the door. "Where's Steve?" He demanded.

"Captain Rogers is leaving the building."

"What?"

"He and Wilson are leaving in search of the Captain's friend, Barnes."

When Bruce entered the med bay it was just in time to see Tony fall off the bed as he was trying to get to his feet. Tony had no idea where he was or even that he was on a bed. Falling backwards, Bruce saw the IV line go taut and then fly into the air as the needle was ripped from Tony's arm. "Shit!

Bruce came around the bed as Tony was rolling over trying to painfully get to his hands and knees. His pupil fully dilated but Bruce could tell Tony couldn't see anything. He was muttering but Bruce couldn't understand the words. Tony's face was red, he looked like he was choking. With each rapid heartbeat blood was literally pumping out of a gruesome tear in the skin where the needle had been ripped from his arm. 

Bruce grabbed for Tony's arm, he tried to use his thumb to put pressure on the vein but Tony was scooting backwards. Plus the blood was making everything slick. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. get Clint and Nat down here." Bruce finally got his thumb on the vein above the wound as his whole hand squeezed Tony's arm. There would be bruises from his hand print. He scooted forward on his knees through the blood on the floor to follow Tony who finally hit the wall of windows and could go no farther.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. They left the building twenty minutes ago." F.R.I.D.A.Y. actually sounded pretty close to her own AI panic attack.

"Then Vision, get Vision here or has he left the building too?" Bruce ground out.

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth Vision dropped down from the ceiling to the floor and looked slightly startled. But his voice was calm. "Tell me what to do."

Lexie had gotten a clean set of clothes from a nearly hidden locker and several towels from another. At one end of the cell there was an indentation of about three feet with a shower head near the top, control handles near the middle and a drain on the floor. The only pretense of privacy was a frosted shower curtain that was about three feet in length about waist high that could be pulled from one side to hook to the other. Lexie had no idea how a female would shower in here though maybe this was the males cell and the other cell had a higher curtain for females.

She had taken her phone from Loki and tossed it on the bed, he had oddly let her easily take it. Now he was standing next to her, watching her with faint curiosity. "So this is where you can shower, see?" Lexie looked at him, he glanced at the shower then her with no comprehension. "Watch, I'll turn on the water."

She pulled the handle out slightly, not too much since she didn't want to startle him but she didn't need to have bothered. As soon as Loki saw the water coming from the shower head he gave a startled yelp and backed away, his back hitting the wall.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She turned to him, prepared to coax him forward but as soon as she saw his face she knew he was more than just surprised at the water. She turned the water off and carefully approached him. He had his eyes closed, lips pressed tightly together, arms straight down, palms flat against the glass as he seemed to be desperately trying to control his breathing. "Loki?" Lexie licked her lips, then took her bottom one between her teeth. "Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking. What's wrong? What happened?"

He opened his eyes, looking at her but quickly looked to the shower, staring at it. His eyes dropped to Lexie, he tried swallowing several times before he succeeded and carefully let slip out the words, "hot, burns."

Lexie moved closer, she put a hand on his arm, "I will make sure it doesn't burn. It won't be too hot. You can chose the temperature. You can have it cool, warm, whatever temperature you want." He was studying her face, he didn't seem to grasp the concept of what she was saying. "Do you trust me?"

Loki's head tilted to the side. Green eyes showed they understood this question. His lips tensed, his eyes squinted. He shook his head. "No."

"Do you trust me?"

Loki closed his eyes with a groan. His head dropped, chin resting on his chest. He must have opened his eyes, because while he didn't raise his head, he reached out and took a thick strand of her hair, curling it around several fingers. He rubbed it between them and his thumb but didn't let go. Finally he raised his head just enough to meet her eyes.

Lexie slid her hand down his arm to grasp his hand but he raised his arm and reached her shoulder. She took a small step back, he didn't move. She took another and this time he followed her but the expression on his face made it clear that it was costing him. He didn't look out of her eyes. His nostrils flared. His tongue darted out once to lick his chapped lips. There was a pulse point in his neck that that gave away how fast his heart was beating. She could see when he had to switch from breathing through his nose to panting through his mouth to get enough air into his lungs. 

It was only a few short steps back to the shower. Lexie glanced over her shoulder then again turned the water on, adjusting the temperature as she did so it was only warm. Loki squeezed his eyes closed. His jaw tightened. His hand clenched her hair in one fist, his other hand was gripping her shoulder so tight she knew she would have a bruise of his hand print.

"You can feel the water. It's not hot. It's warm. It won't hurt."

Loki's eyes opened, they were desperate to make her understand. He forced out the only words he could find. "Hot. Burning. Pouring." With a whispered groan he pushed past clenched teeth, "Dying. Please. No."

Lexie snapped the water off and turned Loki away from the shower, putting her free hand on his arm to pull him after her. "No shower. Okay? No. Shower." She got him to the foot of the bed, "Sit down." It didn't take any effort to get him to sit. He pulled her to him, standing her between his legs as he enveloped her in a hug, his long arms tight around her waist. He put his head against her and she held his head close in her arms. He took deep breaths of her in. His body shook. She ran her hands over his head, it was too matted to get her fingers through but he seemed to relax slightly as she made soothing motions on his scalp.

She took a deep breath to try to calm herself, utterly understanding what he had said to her as if he had told her the whole horrifying story. He had been burned by a hot liquid being poured on him. And either he had felt like he was dying or he had died. Which was insane. He couldn't have actually died. But then he also didn't have any burn scars. So even if it hadn't really happened, in his mind it had, and that was all that mattered. She wouldn't torture him again by trying to force him.

"Okay, well no shower. But we are going to have to figure out how to get your hair clean. You can't stay like this." She looked around at what she had to work with in the cell. After several minutes she spoke, "okay, I have an idea."

Loki had seemed to understand when Lexie said that she would be right back, at least he had let her go and remained seated on the bed. He hadn't even required her phone as a deposit. 

Loki's eyes watched her curiously as she brought in two large plastic buckets that had been sitting on a shelf in a supply closet just waiting to be removed from their plastic wrappings. Inside one she had set a bottle of shampoo and conditioner along with a brand new brush, also from the supply closet. 

Now she was ready to set up. Lexie pushed the sheets and blanket off one end of the bed, revealing the thin, plastic mattress. She took a towel and rolled it up and tossed it on the end then took another and set it on the floor at the end of the bed, putting one of the buckets on top of it. Taking the other empty bucket she went to the shower and filled it with warm water that she felt ran to the cool side. She lugged that bucket over and set it on the towel next to the empty one.

She gave a deep huff, "okay, so your spa day is ready." She gave Loki a half grin while holding her arms out. He looked at her with an expression of growing unease. 

He stood. "No." He clearly had no idea what she was talking about.

Lexie rolled her eyes, "Typical man. You're just saying that, you don't even know what I'm talking about. Watch." She laid down on the bed, her head nearly hanging over the edge though she made sure to keep her hair out of the water. Taking the rolled up towel she put it under her neck. "See?" She met Loki's expression which seemed slightly skeptical from the way he was frowning while looking at her sideways. She raised her arms and pantomimed washing her hair. "See? I'll wash your hair." She rolled over and pointed down to the cooling water. "Clean water to wash and then the dirty water will fill the empty bucket." She looked up at him while getting to her feet.

"No." He took a hesitant step back.

"Yes." She walked up to him and reached out to touch his hair. "You have to wash your hair. You're going to end up with dreads if you go much longer." She took his hand and tugged on it, he looked at her with misgiving but allowed her to lead him to the bed and push him gently to sit on it.

She got the clear, plastic cup, dipped it into the water and brought it over to Loki. She put a finger into it, watching his face carefully. He watched only slightly apprehensively but didn't seem to be having the same reaction as the shower caused. "See, its not hot. Its actually getting pretty cool. Do you want to put your hand in the water?" She held the cup out towards him.

Loki hesitated. Slowly he reached out and felt the outside of the cup. After a moment he raised his hand and tentatively dipped a single fingertip into the water. Removing his finger from the water he raised his eyes to Lexie's, there seemed to be an acceptance in them.

"Good. Thank you." She let out a deep breath that released tension she didn't even realize she had been holding in. "We should get this shirt off you though, its got blood on it and it's just going to get wet anyway." She pointed to his shirt. "You'll put the clean one on when we're done. And the pants but," she took a breath, muttering, "well, we will figure that one out later."

She crouched down in front of him, one knee one the floor as she slowly reached for the hem of his shirt. His expression changed to one of wariness while he went still. She slowed, "do you want me to stop? Do you want to do it yourself?"

He didn't change expressions, he licked his lips then shook his head. "No." His voice was cautious.

She nodded. "I'm going to need you to help me though. Lift your arms." She stood while carefully pulling the oversized shirt up, he raised his arms up enough that it slipped easily over his head. Lexie had seen the wounds on his torso before but seeing them again was still a shock to her. There were angry red scars, some wounds still looked painful.

Loki intently watched her face. 

She met his gaze with one of her own. "If I ever meet the evil, thing , that caused this to happen to you, I would hope that I would have the courage to either slap his face or spit in it."

Loki's eyes grew huge in his face as if he pictured this happening. His mouth had dropped open, now he snapped it shut. "Never. No." He sounded a mixture of terrified and astounded.

"Huh, well I guess that most likely will never happen." She gently tossed the shirt to the foot of the bed then grabbed a towel and lay it on the mattress. "All right, lay back." 

As he cautiously did as she asked she held his long hair then draped it over the bed's edge then adjusted the towel under his neck. She grabbed the small plastic footstool she had brought in with her, set it next to the buckets and sat on it. She was now the perfect height to look down into Loki's eyes, he was watching her. She filled the clear plastic cup and poured it over the bottom of his hair.

"I'm starting at the bottom, I'll work my way up so you can get used to it. It's going to take a lot to get your hair wet, it's kinda coated in blood and sweat." Her eyes darted to his, he was still watching her. She looked back down, the water draining from his hair had a red tint to it. She was careful not to pull at the mats and tangles in his hair.

It took the whole bucket to fully saturate his hair to her satisfaction. Once the clean water was gone she moved the dirty water bucket to the side, switched the clean, empty one under his hair to catch drips and took the dirty water to the shower. She carefully poured it down the drain, thoroughly rinsed it and refilled it. Bringing it back she started over again until the water ran clear through her hands. 

Grabbing the shampoo bottle she poured a generous amount into her hand. "This is one of my favorite scents, I've got a couple that I buy for guests. None of the guys use this one unless they run out of their own. It's eucalyptus sage. They say it smells funny but that's because they use their normal conditioner and not the matching one. Which I just happen to have, so don't worry, you'll smell perfect." She worked it into a lather, again being aware of the mats and tangles. She massaged his scalp, working lightly in easy motions. She grinned when she heard a hum of pleasure from his throat, his eyes were closed and his face was utterly relaxed. She made sure to massage the back of his neck, at the base of his hairline. He seemed to always be getting grabbed by Thor at the back of his neck, which she thought had seemed painful. So a little massage had to be a good thing. Which if the way Loki's head lolled in her hands was any indication, it felt really good. "You falling asleep on me?"

She was surprised when his lips twitched into a smile and she heard him make a pleasant noise. His breathing was slow but regular, every once in a while he would take a slightly deeper breath. Even upside down he looked so much younger. Pale skin appeared to have become flawless, the stress lines that seemed etched around his eyes and mouth were gone.

Lexie began rinsing his hair, the bucket running empty before she was finished. "I have to get more water." She spoke quietly, not wanting to wake him if he was asleep but he raised his eyebrows and made a noise she interpreted to mean he understood so she gently let his head down. She again switched out the buckets then finished rinsing the soap from his hair. Using the last of the clean water she did another bucket exchange.

Grabbing the conditioner, and again a generous amount, she coated his hair and scalp. Now she used her fingers to comb at the tangles and work at the mats. Always going back to massaging his scalp, using the pads of her fingers to press random circles onto it. A few times he would lift or move his head to direct her to a certain spot which made her smile. She found when she lightly scratched in her massage she got a much bigger reaction. He had groaned, convulsively swallowed several times and tried to open his eyes. Tried because they had actually fluttered and he was only able to open them once she had gone back to working on his tangles.

Once he had gotten his eyes opened he looked at her, he looked drugged and she grinned at him, "Liked that, did ya?" She chuckled.

"Again."

Lexie's hands stilled, she felt the grin on her face slide into a half smirk. She watched as his hand slowly reached up to gently take a strand of her hair in his fingers though his eyes never left hers. He twisted it, pulling its silky length slowly through his fingers. He let it go. His eyes closed and his arm moved down to rest across his chest.

"Well damn." She muttered with a raised brow. She scratched gently a few seconds longer, making sure to hit that spot on the base of his skull. He pressed his head back into her fingers and she grinned, he didn't even seem to be aware he was doing it. After a few minutes she started focusing on rinsing his hair, catching the content, faint smile on his lips.

It took three buckets for Lexie to feel all the conditioner was out of Loki's hair and all the tangles and mats were gone. She squeezed the water out of his hair. "All right, I'm going to dump this water and clean up, just relax." She gently let his head come to a rest. He didn't even acknowledge her words. He was utterly relaxed.

She poured the water out, rinsed the buckets, set them inside each other and put the shampoo and conditioner in the bucket. Grabbing the wet towels she carried everything to the door. She used her shoulder to push the cell door open. Leaning out she set the buckets on the floor then tossed the towels out after them. 

When she turned around Loki was standing right in front of her. Lexie looked up, her heart painfully lurching. He was looking over her head at the open door. All he had to do was push past and he could step through. F.R.I.D.A.Y. would stop him from leaving the floor but he didn't know that. His eyes dropped to hers. His expression was unreadable.

Lexie swallowed. He was looking into her eyes and she saw that they were clear. He knew he was locked in a cell. He knew this was the door out. She had no idea what he was going to do next.

She felt they stood there for a long time though it could have just been seconds. He raised his hand and held something out to her. Pushing her eyes down she saw the brush in his hand. Her eyes jumped back up to his as he spoke. "Brush."

She nodded, "okay." She forced herself to try and speak as normally as possible. "Okay." She pulled the door shut and it locked. She motioned towards the bed with one hand while taking the brush with the other. 

He took one final look at the door and back down at her. Expressionless he turned and went to sit on the bed. When he moved away she took a hugely deep breath to steady herself. She had been stupid. So stupid. Trusting and stupid. An idiot. After another involuntary deep breath she followed him back to the bed.

There was one dry towel left and Lexie picked it up to dry his hair. She rubbed his head, squeezing the hair to soak up as much of the water as she could. Once she was satisfied she pulled the towel off and faintly smiling at his hair flying in different directions. "You need a hair cut."

Loki shook his head and most of the hair fell around his head. "No."

"No? Why not?" She hoped he would continue to be able to express himself. She started drying the pale skin of his back then reached around to his chest where the water from his hair had run down to the waistband of his drawstring pants. Tossing the towel on the bed she studied how she was going to brush his hair.

"Slaves. Prisoners. Death."

Knowing her surprise was on her face and in her voice she asked, "What? What do you mean?" She walked over to the footstool and brought it over then set it down in front of Loki. "Sit on that. You're too tall for me."

He hesitated then sat, leaning his back against the bed. She sat right behind him at a slight angle, one leg folded behind his shoulders the other hanging down beside him, her foot on the floor. "Short hair means slaves. Prisoners. Death."

"Oh. I didn't know that." She shrugged, "I guess that makes a kind of sense." She picked up the brush and started gently brushing, starting at the bottom of his long hair. "Well, you could just trim it." 

He bent his head back to look up at her. "No."

She smiled, "okay. You'll have to be the one who brushes it though."

He scowled at her. "You brush it."

"I'm brushing it now, but next time you'll have to do it yourself." She gave a short laugh, "When I was a kid I always had this horrible short hair. I would tell my mom I wanted it long but she would always cut it short. She said when I was old enough to take care of it myself, then I could have it any way I wanted. Until then it was going to be the easiest way for her to take care of it. Which was short." Lexie grinned, "which is why I wear it long now. Well, one reason."

She had gotten to his scalp and wanted to see if he would be as sensitive about having his scalp brushed as he was about having it massaged. She grinned. He was. When he made a pleasant groan and she couldn't help but chuckle he forced open one eye. Looking back up at her, letting his head rest against her chest he slowly reached his arms up behind himself and wrapped them around her. She felt him clasp his hands at her neck, his fingers gently moving in her hair.

Lexie was looking down at him. Her brain was in a stutter and she wondered what it was trying to think. Whatever it was, it was doing a horrible job because she was pretty sure her mind was blank. When he half opened his eyes again, she could see his curiosity at why she had stopped brushing his hair. "Uh, you need to sit forward. I, can't brush your hair, when you're," she motioned to him laying against her. 

"Comfortable." His voice was lazy.

She laughed. She actually gave such an unexpected laugh that trying to get her breath back she snorted which made her cover her mouth to try and stop laughing. She looked back down at him and he was frowning, not sure if she was laughing at him. "Oh my god." She wiped at her eyes, "how did you go from single syllable words to saying comfortable in such a short time?"

Once he realized she wasn't laughing at him he released her, sitting forward with the command, "brush."

"Yes your highness." She still had laughter in her voice.

Loki turned to look at her over his shoulder. He looked uncertain, as if he didn't know what to think about her using that title to address him. He gave a shake of his head, "no prince of Asgard."

Lexie's good humor slipped away. She carefully went back to brushing his hair, trying to think of what to say. When she saw him glance back at her she decided to be honest. "I don't know what to say to you. If I say the wrong words I don't want to make you angry. Or sad."

He turned his shoulders back around. His hands came together, he rubbed at his palms then at the faint golden lines on his forearms. "Not," he paused then hissed, "Odin's. Son." He twisted at the skin between his thumb and forefinger. "Not son, Not prince." He stood abruptly. 

He started to pace. Lexie saw his fingers start to twitch and knew he was getting agitated. She was going to lose him and he would lose his ability to communicate. She needed to get him to focus and relax. She stood, "Loki, Loki." She came up behind him and stepped around him so he would have to stop. "I need you to be able to talk to me, but if you get upset the words will go away. Do you understand?" She watched him intently.

He nodded and visibly tried to relax. He took a breath, his chest expanding. Lexie realized that his wounds didn't look as bad as she thought they had. In fact some had disappeared completely. Her eyes jumped to his face. She saw his skin, it still looked flawless, he looked younger. "Can I have your hands?" She held hers out and frowning he slowly put his into them. She looked at his finger nails. They were long and looked perfectly manicured. She grinned up at him. "You healed. You healed yourself."

He frowned, looking at his hands not understanding. 

"Your magic. You-"

He pulled his hands from hers. "No magic." His voice was hard. He moved past her to the far wall. Turning to look at her his eyes glittered dangerously. "No. Magic."

Lexie walked carefully closer, stopping farther than an arms length away. "You're saying you're not using your magic?"

He looked at the golden lines. "Can't use magic."

"Why not?"

He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. "Dangerous. Pain." His hand went to his neck and he rubbed at it. Scratched as if pulling at something. Then his eyes opened and he was hard again, "Odin. Took. Magic."

"But Thor said you had magic inside of you."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Thor's idiot."

Lexie grinned, "Thor also loves you."

Loki studied her for a long moment. He was thinking about her words, then shook his head. "Thor's Odin's. Son. Thor's. Prince." He pushed himself away from the wall. 

Lexie walked up to Loki and reached out for his hand again and Loki hesitantly gave it to her. "Well you didn't have healed fingernails a couple hours ago. And now you do." She pointed to his chest. "You had more wounds, scars, and those are gone. And the ones left are nearly healed and don't look like they're going to scar up." She looked him in the eyes. "So you may not think you're using your magic but you are."

Loki shook his head. "No. No. Can't use magic." He moved past Lexie. His hands loosely clenched. "Odin took. Punishment." He looked down at his forearms as if looking for something.

Lexie moved to stand next to him. "Those are restraints Dr. Strange put on you but you can still access some of your magic." She put her hand on the golden lines of the bindings.

Loki hissed and lifted her hand as though burned. "No touch. Magic." His mouth twisted with contempt, "Midgard magic." He waved his hand dismissively.

Lexie gave a faint smile. "I guess we're not exactly up to your Asgardian standards, huh?" Loki looked her thoughtfully, thinking about the meaning of her words. "Well, whatever you think about magic, you're using it."

Loki shook his head adamantly. "No. No magic." His voice was close to angry. "No use. Can't use. Danger." He started walking the floor, stalking and pacing.

This time Lexie could see the difference. With his shirt off she could see the tension carried in his shoulders. He was still too thin, painfully so but she could also see the potential of what he would look like once he was healed. While he wouldn't be covered in bulging muscles like Thor he would have enough to make him equally dangerous.

"Can't use. Can't. Searching. Find me. Too dangerous. Watching. Watching for magic." He had walked to the cell wall and now he dropped his head against it. "Can't use it. No magic."

"Who's watching? Odin? Is Odin watching?"

Loki shook his head then hit it again against the wall. "No. Other. Other watcher." Loki was angry. "Other looking. Watching. Looking. Waiting."

"Who is the other one watching for you? Looking for you?" She asked but she had a dreadful feeling she knew who it was. She just couldn't say the name.

In the surgical Suite of Stark Towers, Strange was finishing the delicate work of repairing the torn vein. He had created a magical bubble that magnified the interior of the wound so he could see what he was doing. He had been called by a frantic Bruce who had given him the basics in a few short sentences. He'd been prepared for the wound but not for Stark's condition. He had known about Tony's anxiety issues, he'd even seen some small ones. But this was a full blown combination. A minor anxiety attack that had spiraled into a panic attack that he hadn't recovered from by the time they had knocked him out for the procedure.

Bruce had F.R.I.D.A.Y. get the blood on the floors and walls cleaned up by nanotech before Pepper and Happy had made it back to the med bay, thank god. Or they would have had another issue to deal with. But neither one had been calm seeing the blood all over Tony and Bruce or seeing Tony's injury. Fortunately Strange was just taking Tony into surgery so he had left the people part to Bruce. Now he was finished and he was pushing the bed with Tony on it out to the med floor. 

Pepper came over from where she had been pacing, picking up Tony's hand. She was dry eyed, she had reached a point where it made no sense to keep crying. She looked down at the large bandage wrapped around his forearm, the IV had been placed in his other arm. This time the line had been wrapped once around his forearm and taped down the full length. Happy brought a chair over and Pepper gave a faint smile in thanks as she sat down.

Bruce walked over to Strange who was at a sink washing his hands. "Everything go okay?"

Strange frowned. "Of course. Why wouldn't it? Simple enough."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "How long will he be out?"

"Not much longer. I didn't want him out too long with the mix of medications already on board." They walked over to Tony's bed and Strange nodded to Pepper. "The arm will be fine. A faint scar, maybe."

"Thank you." She looked at Bruce. "The attacks are coming closer and closer together."

He gave a half shrug while trying to appear unconcerned. "This has been a stressful week. Everything is going to calm down and go back to normal shortly. He'll be fine."

The lie hung heavy in the air.

"Agent Barton has returned to the building." F.R.I.D.A.Y.s voice seemed loud, everyone shifted slightly.

"Can you tell him to come up here." Bruce's anger came through in his tone.

"Will do."

By the time Clint walked through the med bay doors Bruce's temper had risen and he was working on not shouting when he asked, "where were you?"

Clint frowned, picking up the tension in the room as he slowly walked over. He couldn't see anything different. "Uh, Nat and I met up with Cap. We wanted more details on Fury."

"Where is she? Nat?" Bruce asked though he didn't need to add her name, Clint knew who he was talking about.

He sighed. "She went to go find Fury."

Bruce frowned and looked confused. "Fury? He's dead."

Pepper gasped, "dead?" Happy looked stunned. Everyone looked slightly uncomfortable at their finding out so bluntly.

No one spoke up so Bruce felt he needed to, "when the attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. happened."

Pepper looked at Tony. "Did he know? All this time?"

"No, he just found out when we did. When Steve came in." Bruce turned to finish with Clint. "Why would she be looking for Fury?"

"You know Nat. In the spy game unless you see something with your own eyes you don't believe anything someone tells you. And even then you still confirm and double check." He shrugged, "she's going to find Hill and confirm. Then double check."

Pepper asked quietly, "why didn't you go with her?"

Clint's jaw muscle jumped and he wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. "I need to stay close. Besides, with every thing falling apart and everyone running off in different directions, someone needs to be here if we get any info on Loki."

"Loki!" Bruce nearly shouted, his hands flew to his head, he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Bruce." Strange's voice was calm.

Bruce bent over double, "fuck me." He ground out then stood, staring at Strange.

Strange's voice was eerily calm. "Bruce. What about Loki?"

"Lexie. And Loki,"

Clint looked between the two men, "what the hell are you guys talking about? What's up with Loki? Do you know where he is?"

Strange had lost a part of his calmness, it showed in how he took a step towards Bruce and how his eyes narrowed. "She is restricted from contact with him."

"I gave her permission." Bruce sounded devastated.

"You gave her access to Loki? You left Lexie alone with Loki?" Now Strange had lost some of his cool and calm tone. He moved right up to Bruce.

Bruce flinched, "I, I thought I would be right back!" He looked at Strange, his hands resting on the top of his head. "I forgot."

Clint shoved up to the two, "You forgot? You forgot Loki's here? At the complex? Now? With Lexie? Alone?" He seemed unable to form a whole sentence. 

He reached for Bruce but now it was Strange who blocked him. He pulled his sling ring out of a hidden pocket then made motions which created a portal, "Lets go." Clint dashed through. Bruce followed after a moments hesitation. To Pepper and Happy, Strange said, "I'll be right back. Tony should wake in the next thirty minutes." And he stepped through the portal, following Bruce who was trying to catch up with Clint.

The portal had opened in the parking lot outside the residential building. Clint took off at a full run for the front door. Yanking it open he went straight for the open elevator doors. Once inside he stabbed the button for the cell level.

Bruce came in after him, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. where's Lexie?" He was shouting and didn't care. 

"In Loki's cell."

"Is she all right?"

"Yes."

"Thank God." Strange came in a moment later and they pressed the call button.

Below in the cell Loki was hitting his head against the glass. "Stop, stop it Loki, stop." Lexie put her hand between his head and the glass. 

And then the word slipped out. The word Lexie was too afraid to say Loki spit out, his whole body pushing it out. "Thanos." His fists balled. He rose on tip toe as he did.

She whispered it, "Thanos."

He turned on her, shouting, "Yes, Thanos! Angry. So angry." He closed his eyes tight. Holding his fists out from his body. His teeth ground. His hands opened convulsively. 

"About your failure."

"Yes."

"The stones."

"Yes. Infinity Stones." Loki turned to Lexie, his face a mix of anger, fear and concern. He reached for her, his fingers flexing. "He wants, needs stones. More stones. All stones." He fisted his hands. "I, lost, kept, gave, two. Here. Midgard." He shook his head, clenching his eyes closed. He whispered, "so angry." He turned to her, fists balled, trying to make her understand everything that he couldn't put into words. The danger. He felt the words slipping away as he reied to speak them and he roared out his frustration.

The elevator doors opened and Clint raged out. He took the entire scene in, seeing everything perfectly. And utterly wrong.

He saw the dried blood on the glass.

He saw Loki with no shirt on.

The sheets on the bed half pulled off.

He saw Loki's hands balling into fists. 

And he saw Loki facing Lexie who stood with her back in a corner.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. door!" The door unlocked before he even reached the handle.

Loki spun when the elevator doors opened. His eyes narrowed. Startled at this unknown mortal bursting across the floor towards the door, Loki didn't think. Muscle memory and every lesson he had learned as a Prince of Asgard ensured that his first action was to push Lexie behind him until he felt her back hit the wall. Knowing she couldn't be attacked from behind he turned to face this frontal attack with only one arm free as he kept his other between Lexie's neck and chest. Keeping his hand on her allowed him to keep his body between her and danger.

Clint was through the door and across the cell as he saw Loki push Lexie into the wall, keeping her pinned. Clint went low, tackling Loki about the waist, shoving him back into the wall and Lexie. There was a tangle of bodies and grunts. Loki was pushed away from Lexie so he struck Clint as hard as he could, knocking him backwards. Clint knew he couldn't get past Loki's long arms so he used the reach his legs provided him and took Loki's knee out in a vicious kick. "Kneel Mother fucker!" Clint screamed.

Strange and Bruce had entered the floor and were trying to decipher what they were seeing and hearing while getting into the cell.

Lexie was screaming at Clint while trying to get him to stop pummeling Loki who was only half down and giving as many punches as he was taking. "Clint! Stop it! Stop it. What are you doing? Stop it!" She grabbed Clint's arm but in swinging to punch Loki Clint threw Lexie backwards. 

Loki saw Lexie fall. "No!" It was just enough of a distraction that when he turned back with a feral scream he was a second too late to fully block an elbow to his cheekbone. His cheek split and blood flowed.

Strange grabbed Lexie from the floor, spinning with her in his arms and taking her out of the brawl. She fought him, pulling at his hands and arms. "NO! Stop him. Stop him. Loki didn't do anything. Let me go!" She fought him. "Let me go!" He pushed her out of the door.

Bruce tried to grab Clint but was shoved backwards. By now Loki was trying to defend himself from the blows that Clint was raining down on him. It looked like it was turning into a wrestling match. A punch to the side of the head and Loki was losing his ability to defend himself any longer. He was on his knees, he couldn't get to his feet. With one hand holding himself up and the other weakly held up it was no barrier to the kick that came for his head.

Strange grabbed Bruce, sending him towards the door. "Out." It was an order. Next he came up behind Clint who was kicking Loki's motionless body. Strange grabbed him under the arms. Using his height he spun Clint away and forced him to the door and out it.

Lexie slapped him. "What did you do? What did you do?" She tried to get past them but none of them would let her. 

Clint looked stunned. Chest heaving he asked, "what are you talking about? He was attacking you!" His hands opened wide.

"No he wasn't. We were talking." She put her hands to her head. "Talking, Clint. Oh my God. About Thanos. He was upset but not at me."

Clint motioned to walls, "But all the blood."

"Does that look fresh? And he did that to himself when he punched the walls. Oh my God." Lexie again tried to push past them. "He's not like the Loki you remember, Clint."

"Bullshit!" Clint angerly pointed at the sprawled figure in the cell. "That's Loki. There's only one of him."

Strange was keeping an eye on Bruce who was leaning over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. "No, we're not having this discussion down here. Let's go." Strange's voice gave no room for debate.

"You can't leave him like that." She motioned to Loki's still form, bleeding on the floor. She couldn't even tell if he was breathing. His face was covered in blood. It had run down his torso.

Strange turned them like reluctant children. "Lets go." He grabbed Lexie and forced her ahead of them.

Bruce straightened, still trying to calm his beating heart. He gave a glance over his shoulder then whispered out, "Oh shit."

They all turned in time to see Loki rise from the floor. But this Loki was dressed in his battle dress leathers. Wearing his horned helmet he stared at them with hard and vicious eyes. 

Clint grabbed Lexie's arm, pulling her close to him as he pointed. "There. There he is. That's the Loki we know."

Loki stalked to the cell wall and looked them all over. Absolutely no recognition in his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Lexie moved closer to the clear cell wall and tried to look into Loki's eyes but he ignored her as he paced past. He walked half the length of the cell, his eyes occasionally would focus on Bruce but he mainly stared at Clint. He had raised himself to his full height and looked every inch the arrogant god who had come to earth to rule it through an alien invasion. 

His pacing was controlled, one direction then he turned and made the return trip. He never looked to Strange or Lexie, he completely ignored them as though they weren't there. 

Bruce finally turned away and went inside the elevator, putting his back against the wall facing away from everything so he couldn't see anything. He slid down to the floor and put his hands over his ears, listening to his heartbeat. Trying to take even breaths to slow it down.

Clint faced Loki straight on, pissed off and willing to take the full brunt of Loki's arrogant gaze. Taking a fist and pounding it against the glass Clint wanted to get a reaction but there was nothing, not even a blink.

Lexie put her hand up on the wall. "This isn't right." She watched Loki then muttered, "This is wrong. He's not acting right."

Clint barely gave her a glance but his lip curled. "Don't be stupid. What do you thinks wrong? He's acting perfectly normal. Same old ass hole as before."

Lexie scowled at Clint but looked over her shoulder at Strange. "Stephen? Tell him. This isn't how Loki has been."

Strange was watching Loki through half closed eyes and didn't speak right away. He tilted his head as though listening to something far away. "Loki is, using all of his magic. He pulling every amount he has available."

Lexie shook her head. "He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't use any of his magic much less all of it."

Clint snorted dismissively. "And how would you know that? Did he tell you?"

She turned to face him, her anger clear on her face and in her tone. "Yes, he did."

He faced her as well. "And you believe him? The God of Lies? You just took him at his word that he was telling you the truth?"

Lexie felt heat on her face but raised her chin. "He said he wouldn't use his magic because it was too painful." Clint rolled his eyes. "And that Thanos would be looking for him to use it."

Strange looked at Lexie in alarm. "He said that? That Thanos would be looking for his magic?" 

She turned to him. "Yes."

Strange moved closer to the glass. "Well then lets jut shut this down right now. As small as this amount is, I'm not willing to take any chances." Strange concentrated, his fingers moving slightly. A frown appeared on his face, lines on his brow.

Clint noticed, "what's wrong?"

"I can't shut the bindings. The pressure of his magics flow is holding them open."

Clint slapped the wall, Loki didn't flinch nor did he look away from the archer. Clint moved to Lexie and leaned close to her. "See what he is?" He stabbed a finger in Loki's direction. "That is Loki. A liar. He's probably calling Thanos right now. Bringing him right here to earth to finish what he couldn't."

"No, no he wouldn't do that." Lexie spun on Clint. "You didn't see what Thanos did to him. You didn't see the torture he went through." She turned to Strange, "tell him. Tell him about having his mouth and eyes sown shut."

Clint looked at Lexie, his face showing his surprise at her words then he turned to look at Strange who shrugged. "He was obviously tortured."

Refusing to back down Clint recovered and shook his head. "Doesn't mean Thanos did it. Did you see Thanos do it? How do you know some other guy didn't do it? Payback for something else?"

"You haven't been here. You haven't talked to him. You don't understand what he's been through. " Clint raised his eyebrows, a slight smirk appearing on his face. "What?" She demanded. "What?"

"Oh I get it now." There was a knowing smugness in his tone.

"Barton." Strange's voice was a low warning.

"No. She's been here alone with him for how long?" Clint shook his head, looking at Lexie with something close to pity. "You let yourself get played by the God of Lies and Mischief. He used you. And you didn't have the sense to see it." 

She slapped him. Not a slap to knock him back but he certainly knew he had been slapped. And the shock on his face said he hadn't been expecting it. Not at all. 

Strange reacted by stepping forward and coming between the two of them facing Clint. "Okay, time to go." Clint spun on his heel and stalked towards the elevator. Strange turned to look at Lexie who had turned to face the cell. She wasn't looking at Loki but rather taking several breaths. Strange looked up at Loki, his eyes had followed Clint and now were staring at the man who was still visible. Lexie wiped at a tear threatening to slip from an eye. Strange noticed and reached out to grasp her arm.

Yanking herself away from Strange she angerly said, "Don't touch me." Taking a breath she walked towards the elevator. Strange glanced at Loki. He had never looked away from Clint, ignoring everyone else.

Pepper watched Tony's eyes flutter for several seconds then slowly open, once then twice as he struggled to keep them open. On the third time they stayed open and she watched as he stared at the ceiling then turned his head. He saw her and smiled. "Hey." His voice was a low whisper.

Pepper smiled back, "hey yourself."

Tony frowned as his eyes heavily closed, "what's wrong?"

"What'd you mean?" Pepper's voice was even, pleasant.

He forced his eyes open and focused on her, "you have that look."

"Look? What look?" She smiled at him, her thumb rubbing the back of his hand.

"The look that tells me I did something wrong. Really wrong, not stupid. Well, maybe stupid too, but more than just stupid." He took a deep breath. "Go ahead, tell me, I can take it."

Pepper shook her head, "just get some rest, Tony. Go back to sleep. We'll talk when you wake up." She brushed a lock of hair back into place. He needed a haircut but she wouldn't tell him that. She loved that slightly messy look he got when he let his hair grow longer.

Tony's eyes widened and he looked worried. "That bad, huh? Now you have to tell me. What did I do, Pep? Is everyone okay?" He tried to lift his head up but didn't have enough strength to fight Pepper pushing his shoulder back on the bed.

"Stay down." She looked into his eyes, warm brown that were tired but clear. Finally she asked, "What do you remember?"

He looked thoughtful. "India. I remember that." He glanced sideways at Pepper as she nodded, she looked relieved at not having to go over that again. "I remember, I think, an anxiety attack." He again glanced sideways at her. He didn't want to mention Steve if she didn't know about that conversation.

Pepper had already watched the playback of the conversation that had caused Tony's out of control spiral. She was just as angry as Bruce was at Steve. He had totally ignored every thing Tony had said to him. All he wanted was a clear conscience so he could leave and go after Barnes. That meant he had to believe that Tony didn't need him to stay.

Pepper wasn't about to let Steve off the hook. "We heard the conversation with Steve."

"Oh." Tony relaxed into the bed, closing his eyes.

Pepper leaned forward and kissed Tony's forehead, saying quietly, "yes. We'll talk about that later. And while you may not got this," he opened his one good eye to look at her, "we do. Got this."

Tony closed his eye again and grinned. "Your English Professor would be so proud."

"Ha ha. Funny."

He opened one eye and raised an eyebrow. "So that's it? Nothing else?"

"Isn't that enough?" She looked at him incredulously. 

"Not for that look. What else? Something else must have happened?"

Pepper sighed. "I'm, we're just worried because that attack happened so close to the previous one." Her face had fallen into worry, her lips pressed together, worry lines between her eyebrows.

Tony shook his head, "That wasn't an attack. I don't know what that was but it wasn't an attack." He squeezed her hand. "But I'm okay. I feel better. At least my head feels clear." He looked up into her eyes, "really. I'm going to be all right."

Pepper smiled at him. "I know you are." She pressed her lips together and took a quick breath.

She was holding Tony's right hand and he went to push her hair back with his left but only got it about six inches from the bed when he was jerked to a stop. He looked over and saw he was once more restrained. He rolled his eyes over to Pepper, "why Ms. Potts. This tying me down is getting to be a habit of yours. What excuse did you come up with this time?"

A hint of a blush spread across her checks as she reached over him, "we just wanted to make sure you didn't fall out of bed." 

"Uh uh," he pulled his hand away from hers when she was fumbling with the buckle. "I kinda like you taking charge, Ms. Potts. You know, maybe we could play with it, see where it goes." He leaned up and kissed her. She smiled into the kiss.

"Hey Tony! You're up." Happy's voice loudly crashed over them.

Pepper pulled back slightly when Tony groaned, "Not yet but I was workin' on it."

Pepper's quiet laugh filled Tony's ears as she sat up. "Hey Happy."

"How ya feeling, Boss?" Happy looked down at Tony like a giant puppy. He was thrilled to see Tony awake and kissing Pepper. It was so normal. Especially the spark in Tony's eyes and the smirk on his lips.

Pepper slid her hand over Tony's mouth before he could say anything to take that look from Happy's face. "He's fine." She squealed and jerked her hand off Tony's mouth. "Did you just lick me?" She wiped her hand on Tony's gown.

Tony wiggled his eyebrows. He gave her a melting smile. "Oh Ms. Potts, you know that wasn't a lick. Go away Happy. Ms. Potts and I are in a meeting."

"No we are not. Unbuckle that strap, Happy. Mr. Stark is feeling tired and needs his rest." She looked at him archly while trying to not laugh at his sad face. She unbuckled his right hand.

Happy was reaching for the left buckle when Tony growled, "don't you dare untie me, Happy." Happy froze. It was always best to just wait and see who won before taking any action.

Pepper rolled her eyes and leaned over Tony to do it herself. "You're such a-"

Tony reached up and grabbed Pepper with his free hand, pulling her close enough so that when he sat halfway up he could lick the side of her face. When she turned to look at him in shock he kissed her hard then whispered in her ear, "now that's more of a lick." He leaned back, sliding his hand behind his head.

Both Happy and Pepper just stared at him. Then Happy shook himself, "yeah, that was, uncomfortable."

Tony snorted and rolled his eyes. Pepper unstrapped him while shaking her head. Tony just watched her, "told you I was feeling better."

"You're too much, Tony Stark. I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

Tony snorted, "I've been trying to tell you what to do with me. You're just disappointingly slow on taking advantage of-" He stopped talking, tilted his head and frowned. He stared off into nothing for several seconds then his eye snapped to Happy. "What's today?"

"Uh, Tuesday. Um, no Wednesday. Yeah."

He rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers. "Numbers, Happy, numbers, the date."

Pepper answered, "the twenty-first, why?"

Tony looked at Pepper in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" Now it was Peppers turn to be confused. "Where else would I be?"

"You've got a six am video conference meeting with Yamamoto Group tomorrow. You should be in L.A. getting a good nights sleep." Tony ran his hands through his hair. "You probably haven't even checked stock numbers today. Or prepared. You need to prepare. Because, let's face it babe, you aren't me even on my worst day." Pepper scowled at him. "Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's wonderful you aren't me on my worst day. I'm actually glad you aren't me on my best day, because, despite thinking I'm pretty spectacular, I kinda like waking up to you rather than my hand. But you really do need to prepare."

Pepper didn't know where to start. "What?" She rolled her eyes. "God, Tony." She scowled then glared as she tried following that whole monolog in her head, finally she put her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know that I have prepared. However." She raised an eyebrow. "I already have Mark taking the meeting."

Tony looked horrified. "Mark? Oh God, give it back. Give the company back. I'll sign it over to Happy, he'll do better than Mark in a meeting with Yamamoto."

Happy looked like he was thinking he should be offended but he wasn't sure. Pepper shook her head, "Mark speaks Japanese. He told me he was perfectly willing to head the meeting."

Tony grinned. "Yeah, I bet he did." He made a kissing noise.

Pepper glared at him while shaking her head. "Tony-"

"Yamamoto is a very old and traditional Japanese family that we're trying to talk into supplying us the exclusive rights of fish and seafood, yes?" Pepper nodded. Tony folded his arms over his chest. "Now, did Mark also tell you he is allergic to seafood?" Tony raised his chin to her. "And he hates sushi?"

Pepper's eyes slowly got huge and she swallowed. 

Tony grinned smugly. "Plus you have a one-thirty in person with Aaron Castillo about the Gilbert property. We really need that land for the expansion project. He likes you Pepper. A lot. I mean, a lot." Tony grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

Pepper folder her arms and narrowed her eyes. "And exactly what do you mean by that?"

Tony didn't roll his eyes but he did look heavenward. "I mean that you can't send someone else to handle that meeting. He enjoys your company. And, hey, you'd be willing to take one for the company, right? We really do need that property." He grinned until he saw Peppers glare.

"Tony that's-"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" He held up his hands. "That was wrong, and crude and just, very bad. I'm sorry." He reached for her hands which she didn't want to give him but he kept grabbing till she reluctantly let him keep them and he kissed the back of them then her palms. "I'm sorry."

"You can be an ass, Tony."

"I know. But you love my ass, right?" he winked at her. "Come on Pep, don't be mad at me. It's not my fault, it's Bruce's. He's got me all drugged up. My brain is all fuzzy and I don't even know what I'm saying."

Pepper stared at Tony then shook her head with a raised eyebrow, "Oh really? Then how do you know any of this? All my meetings?"

He shrugged, "I read your calendar." She raised an eyebrow. "What? You were sleeping. I was bored. Besides, it was, like, months ago." 

"Tony." Her voice was exasperated. "You can't just read people's personal information."

He rolled his eyes, "It's a calendar. Besides. It's not like I tell people's secrets, Pepper." He gave a lopsided smile, "not the juicy ones any way."

Pepper shook her head. "I need to stick around till Stephen gets back. He should be here any minute."

Tony took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Don't worry about it. F.R.I.D.A.Y. can keep an eye on me, plus Vision and Wanda are here. I'm just going to grab some sleep anyway. Still kinda wiped out."

Pepper brushed his hair back from where it had fallen into his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Unless you plan on crawling up here with me, Nurse, then, yes. I'm sure." He smiled up at her, brown eyes gazing deeply into hers. He smiled boyishly, another kiss on the back of her hand before letting her fingers slip from between his.

"Okay, I guess I should head back. It's gonna be a long night." She leaned over and kissed Tony's lips. "You'll be okay for a couple days? I'll be back by the weekend. Or as soon as I can."

With a self satisfied smirk Tony nodded and kissed Pepper a couple more times, holding her face in his hands. "Sure." A few more quick kisses and she turned and walked out, pulling her cell phone from her pants pocket. She went through the door, already talking to someone. She stood out in the hallway, pacing while having her conversation.

Happy stared at Tony, a pleased look on his face. He reached down and pulled Tony into a sudden hug with a pat on his back before letting him go. He turned and headed out to follow Pepper.

Stunned, Tony called after him, "What the hell was that for?"

"Just glad you're back, Boss. And I figured you were saving your kisses for Pepper."

Tony watched as Happy went towards the elevator and Pepper gave Tony a wave as she followed Happy. Tony watched for several long seconds, making sure neither was coming back. The expression of normal dropped off his face, replaced with one that was exhausted. He looked at his left arm, the white bandage around it. He couldn't even find the energy to remember what happened to him. He closed his eyes and was asleep in seconds.

In the common room Bruce sat in an oversized chair, his legs pulled up so his shoes rested on the seat. He was hunched over, his hands folded together resting on the top of his head which was bent low enough to be tucked between his chest and knees. He was breathing while counting, making sure that he was perfect in his beats.

Clint stood with his arms folded, anger radiating off him in waves. His face was still twisted with contempt as he watched Lexie pace around the large room. She wouldn't look at him.

Strange took a breath, he didn't have time for this. He looked to Lexie. "What did Loki tell you about Thanos?"

She stopped pacing to look at him, her bottom lip caught in her teeth. It was obvious that she was mentally shifting gears to be able to answer his question. "Uh, that he was looking for the stones. That he had two of them but Loki, uh," she rubbed her forehead. "Loki said he left two of the stones here, the Mind stone and the Tesseract."

Clint huffed, "He didn't leave them. He lost and they were taken from him."

Strange shook his head, "Children, no arguing. Now what else?"

"Thanos wants all the stones, he's angry at Loki for failing him. He would have told me more." She glared at Clint. "Except that's when we were interrupted and everything went to hell."

Strange knew he would be accessing the cell cameras, he would get everything anyway but he wanted to know if there was any emergency coming up. Like Thanos being able to sense Loki using his magic. That would be his next project. "I need to get back to Stark Tower. I have things that need to be finished there. Loki isn't the only crisis I'm dealing with at the moment." 

Bruce raised his head then closed his eyes with a heavy sigh. All of his good intentions of meditation disappeared. 

Lexie didn't miss it. "What happened? With Tony?"

Strange waved his hand, "he's fine. He had an incident which may or may not have been what we thought it was. He has a way of believing his lies just enough to get you to believe them too." Strange looked to Bruce. "Are you coming with me or staying here?"

Bruce was torn and it was on his face. He looked between the three other people in the room and opened his mouth but nothing came out. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know what was the right choice. He knew Tony needed him, he'd promised to be there for him. But he had already left Lexie alone with Loki which had led to this huge mess. He didn't know what to do.

Lexie saw his dilemma and glanced at Clint who caught her expression of concern. He rolled his eyes and nodded. Whatever. Clint sat down on the couch and kicked his feet up on the coffee table, pulling his phone out to check messages.

Lexie looked to Bruce. "Go to Tony. We'll be fine."

Bruce's eye bounced between her and Clint. "You sure?"

"Yes, I'm a big girl. I think I can handle one idiot."

Clint smirked, "And here I thought you liked Loki."

Lexie glared at Clint, her eyes narrowed and she was tempted to either stick out her tongue or throw something at him. Unfortunately she was sure her emotion was obvious because he just grinned even bigger though he never raised his eyes from his phone.

Bruce sighed, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. revoke Lexie and Barton's access to the cell level. Neither one can go see Loki." He tiredly stood.

"Will do."

"What?" Lexie squawked while Clint glanced up long enough to give him a dirty look.

Bruce walked to stand next to Strange. "Loki will survive until Tony and I get back. Meanwhile you two behave yourselves."

"How long will that be?" Lexie asked with a frown, "Loki needs to eat."

Bruce shook his head while shrugging, "I don't know. As long as it takes. Loki's got his magic, he'll be fine."

Strange began making his golden circle, "No parties, you two." He gave a rare smile that was a lift of one side of his lips and stepped through.

Bruce hesitated, "Just be cool, okay? I'll get Tony back here as soon as I can. Then we'll, work this all out."

Lexie nodded, "I know. Tony will figure it all out." She gave a weak smile, "He always does."

Bruce didn't smile back, instead he looked sad as he nodded and disappeared through the golden circle which vanished seconds after.

Lexie looked to Clint who was back to texting on his phone. "What was that about?"

"What?"

"That look on Bruce's face?"

"I don't know. I didn't see it."

Lexie huffed in exasperation. "Well how was Tony when you saw him?"

"Fine. He was in a hospital bed."

"What? That's not fine, Clint. What happened to him?" She walked over to stand next to his legs. He ignored her so she grabbed his phone from his hands.

"Hey!" He met her eyes which were glaring at him. He tossed his hands up in the air. "I don't know what was wrong with him. We never got around to talking about that. He looked like he got his ass kicked. Black eyes and some cuts on his face." He held out his hand, wiggling his fingers, demanding his phone back. 

Lexie slapped it into his palm and walked towards the elevator. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. do you know what happened to Tony?"

"Yes but he has asked that I not release that information. He said he would do that himself when asked."

"But he's okay?" 

There was a seconds hesitation. Enough that both Clint and Lexie noticed and met each others eyes across the room. "He's in the process of physically recovering."

Lexie stepped into the open elevator. Those words could mean so much, they did mean so much. As the doors started to close Clint yelled out, "I'm in charge!"

"You're not the boss of me!" Lexie yelled back as the doors closed. She took the elevator up to her apartment. Going inside she leaned back against the door and let out a huge sigh and closed her eyes. She felt like she hadn't been home in such a long time. Which was kind of true. So the first thing she needed to do was take a shower and wash her hair. Then go to bed.

As she was walking past her kitchen she realized she was hungry so she figured she should probably make herself something to eat first. Then she saw Merlin's empty food bowl and felt guilty. So instead of a shower came food, for her and Merlin. Then the litter box. Then washing the dishes because she didn't want any when she woke up. 

By the time she was finally heading to her bedroom enough time had passed that she was wondering if she had the energy to take a shower first. Washing her hair would be such a production. It took forever to wash, condition, dry, brush, and braid for bed. Maybe just skip it?Uhhg. No. Half asleep she entered her bedroom.

Layers of rich fabric covered the few pieces of heavy, dark, wood furniture. The bed was off centered in the room, an oversized four poster creation piled with a gold comforter edged in black. Piles of pillows in solid black made a striking contrast. Deep gold fabric was pinned back on the posts, they could be released to create an enclosed retreat.

There were several tall wooden armoires that held her clothes. They had been custom built so everything she owned or could own had plenty of room.

Turning the light switch on caused several very low light sconces on the walls to come on near the large bed. While they gave off little light it was enough for Lexie to see her way over to the master bathroom. Along the way she grabbed her nightgown from where she had draped it over the richly upholstered chaise lounge at the foot of the bed. 

Once in the large bathroom that had been tiled in natural stone she ignored the oversized tub and stepped into the hot water of the shower. There was nothing relaxing about the multiple jet sprays. She tried to be as efficient as her rapidly exhausting mind and body would let her. Washing and rinsing still took more time than she wanted but it had to be done. Wrapping in a giant body sheet she dried herself and her hair. It took time but she brushed the long locks out, untangling until the still wet strands were smooth. Not caring that it would still be wet in the morning she quickly put it in one long braid, added a ribbon towards the end and tied it in a bow. Yanking the night gown over her head she exited the bath room, tossed her dirty clothes in a hamper hidden in a box made from dark wooden slats.

Climbing up on to the wooden steps next to the bed she tapped a nearly hidden light switch and in the dark crawled under the heavy covers. She was almost asleep when she became aware of something slowly moving on the bed, stalking closer to her. When it was nearly to her face she felt it plop down against her chest and start purring. "G'night, Merlin."

Both Bruce and Strange went to check on Tony, they found him sleeping. Strange gave Bruce a nod of the head, "Looks calm on this end."

"Yeah. But what about Loki's end? That's gone to hell." Bruce leaned back against a counter and tried cracking his neck. He was too tense.

"I'm not sure what we can do about that right now. I don't want to get into a pissing contest with Loki. Let him calm down, let Thor return from Asgard. Then we can see what happens." He looked thoughtful. "I must say I'm not comfortable with Loki's ability to keep the binding open."

"Yeah, what's up with that? I thought you closed them before." Bruce folded his arms over his chest.

"I did. He wasn't using his magic. He's got it going like a fire hose and the pressure is holding it open. Until he stops using it, I can't close it." He looked directly at Bruce. "We need to keep him controlled."

Bruce nodded then looked at Strange sideways. "Wait. What do you mean?"

"We need to use Lexie to a fuller extent."

Bruce was adamantly shaking his head. He stood up straight, dropping his hands to his side. "No. No, absolutely not. She's already involved beyond what I'm comfortable with. Hell, I let her get involved beyond what I'm comfortable with. We need to pull her back, not push her closer."

Strange looked at Bruce with a near expressionless face. "We don't have a choice. We need him calm and not acting out. I don't want to trust my spells against his Asgardian magic. There's too many variables that I couldn't prepare for. Plus. It appears she's the one who can get him to talk. And right now we need his information."

Bruce was still shaking his head. "No, Stephen. No. You saw him. There is no way she can control him. Hell, he wasn't even paying her the slightest attention. All he wanted was me and Barton. He never even looked at her. And you think she can control him? Or keep his attention? He would manipulate and use her beyond whatever he already has."

Strange tilted his head and studied Bruce for a long moment then asked curiously, "Then what do you suggest we do with him? Leave him in Stark's basement? It would keep her safe."

Bruce sighed, "I don't know, Stephen." He rubbed his hands over his face. "I don't know what's the right thing to do. The only thing I do know is I don't want her getting hurt."

Strange nodded but his words weren't agreeing. "I think we've passed that stage. We need to know what Loki knows. By any means we have."

The next morning Lexie was making herself a late breakfast in the common room. She was dressed in her usual jeans and a lose t-shirt, she had brushed then re-braided her hair which now hung down her back. She had asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to bring up a display of Loki in his cell and it was hanging over the kitchen island as she made mini quiches in muffin tins.

As she added cubed ham to a tray of egg mixture she glanced up as Clint stepped out of the elevator. His hair sticking up, dressed in sweat pants and a wife-beater undershirt, he had obviously just woken up. He came to the counter and made himself a large cup of coffee, turning to lean against the counter to drink the first cup. His eyes focused on the display.

Lexie waited for him to say something but he kept sipping his coffee. She glanced at him, he'd folded his arms and was intently watching Loki's figure. Lexie slid one tray out of the oven and on to the counter top then put the waiting tray into the oven. She flipped the tray, setting the little quiches on a rack to cool. Clint reached over and grabbed one, tossing it up in the air to cool then eating it in two bites before he grabbed another.

"I'm sorry." He looked away from the display to look at Lexie. His eyes were sincere, "Last night, yesterday, whenever. For saying you're stupid. I'm sorry about that." He let out a sigh then stuffed the whole quiche in his mouth and went back to staring at Loki in the display. He chewed for a moment. "I shouldn't have said any of that stuff about you." He talked around his mouthful.

Lexie had folded her arms and leaned against the island, watching Clint through his apology. Now she nodded, "But you still think you're right. That I've been fooled by Loki. That I've been played by him."

Clint looked uncomfortable. He took another quiche and took a bite out of it. He turned slightly to face her and met her gaze. "I think you're an incredibly amazing woman who see's the good in everyone. You're willing to do whatever it takes to help someone. And sometimes that means ignoring what's obvious to others." Clint saw Lexie's jaw tense, she wasn't impressed with where he was clearly going. "That sets you up for-"

Lexie pushed away from the island counter, held up her hand and barked out, "Stop. Stop right there." She shook her head, "I have no desire to have you list what you see as my best qualities then twist them into why they make me a naïve and gullible idiot." 

"That's not-"

"Yes it is. Now I will admit that there are times when I act without all the facts." Lexie raised an eyebrow, "just like other people do." Clint had the grace to glance away for a moment. "But last night you shut me down without even listening to me. I may not be an Avenger but I'm not stupid."

"I said I was sorry." Clint shoved another quiche in his mouth and chewed angerly.

Lexie ignored him and continued. "And I've been here with Loki for days, all day. He may be able to fake somethings but not everything. He can't fake torture, Clint. He can't fake having his mouth sown shut. His eyes sown shut. With wire. He didn't fake being blind. Or having his fingernails ripped out. Or-"

"Okay, okay!" Clint shouted, waving his arms dismissively. "He was tortured! I never said he wasn't." Clint stepped away from the kitchen area. "I'm saying he's a liar. That's his nature. You don't get called the God of Lies because you're George Washington."

Lexie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "He's not capable of telling lies, not right now." Clint shook his head but pressed his lips together to keep from saying anything. "He can hardly put four coherent words together. And when he's upset he can't even do that."

"You'll have to forgive me if I believe that Loki is always capable of telling lies." He motioned to the standing figure in the display. "That, creature, may not have deserved everything that happened to him but he certainly doesn't deserve our trust. And he sure as hell doesn't deserve you." Clint stopped all movement and was staring at Lexie.

Lexie looked at Clint like he had grown a second head. "What are you talking about?"

"All those good qualities I was listing? They would be utterly wasted on Loki. He doesn't deserve them." Clint held up his hands. "I won't say anything about you, but he would take everything you did for him, smile then shove a knife right into your ribs. Ask Thor." Clint grabbed the last couple quiches. Turning he walked out of the kitchen. "Somethings burning."

"Bruce." The voice was insistent. "Bruce." The voice was also impatient. "Hey, Banner! Wake up!" 

Bruce pulled himself out of an exhausting sleep at the sound of Tony's voice. He forced his eyes open and stretched. The couch was comfortable for a couch but not for a bed. He swung his legs off the couch and sat up, hands rubbing at his eyes before he tried to focus on Tony. When he finally did he realized Tony was standing just a few feet away from him, holding on to his IV pole. "What are you doing out of bed? You're not supposed to be out of bed yet." Bruce stood up.

Tony shrugged carelessly. "I want to go home. Take this out so I can get dressed." He motioned to the needle in his arm then met Bruce's eyes, "I need to go home. When daddy's away, well," he shrugged, "the last time I had dead bodies in my parking lot."

Bruce rubbed at tired eyes, not wanting Tony to see that there was a worse mess than dead hydra agents at home. "Okay, yeah. Let's get it out." Bruce motioned back to the bed while he went and got gloves and a few other supplies. Tony had gotten back on the bed and was picking at the tape holding the IV line down on his arm.

"You guys weren't playing on keeping this line down." Tony finally got a piece of tape up and was pulling it off.

"Yeah, well the other one didn't last and we didn't want a repeat." He snapped on a pair of gloves and pushed Tony's hand out of the way. 

"Is that what happened over here?" Tony held up the arm with the large gauze bandage wrapped around his arm. 

Bruce glanced at Tony, "Yep. You don't remember?"

Tony shook his head while watching Bruce painlessly remove the needle, press a cotton ball over the pinprick then cover it with a band aid. "During my panic attack?"

"Yeah. It was a really bad one, Tony. One of the worst ones I've seen in a really long time." Bruce snapped his gloves off then took the IV equipment and tossed it all into the medical waste chute for the incinerator. He leaned back against the counter and watched Tony rub at some tape residue on his arm.

Tony felt his leg tapping like crazy, nervous energy he couldn't control without expending just as much energy. "You're gonna fix me though, right?" Tony raised his head just enough to meet Bruce's gaze, he gave him a smirk because he couldn't allow himself to be serious about this.

"I'm gonna try, Tony. But Like Pepper always says, You're a mess."

Tony raised his head fully and grinned. "Yeah, and you love me anyways." He stood because he was starting to get itchy from the energy. "I'm going to get dressed. Be ready to go." He walked out of the med bay and to the elevators wearing only his gown, his bare ass hanging out.


	13. Chapter 13

After what Lexie considered her horrible morning she needed to get out and do something physical. She changed into sweat pants and a t shirt, grabbed a bottle of water, her phone and headed towards the back of the complex. Coming to the industrial fence that separated the wildlife refuge from the complex grounds she came to a gate. From this side the gate opened without a code and she just pushed through it. 

The refuge was privet, closed to the public and maintained by a small conservation and research institute that Bruce had recommended. Other than a few scientists and the occasional researcher, Lexie had never seen anyone else out here. So she felt comfortable using the refuge as her own personal thinking space. 

Right now the only thought in her mind was Loki. She couldn't explain why she felt something was deeply wrong with him but she knew she had to figure out what it was. Not only figure it out but be able to articulate it to people who were, she had no problem admitting, much smarter than her. Not to mention they were the ones with all the experience with this type of situation while she had none. Zero.

"Uuuhhg. You have got to figure this out. He doesn't have any one else." Lexie mutter to herself as she passed through beautiful scenery, trees literally for miles with deep green undergrowth scattered about. Birds flittering about. She saw none of it. Just the path in front of her.

"Okay, talk this through. Figure this out, you can do it." She came to a branch in the trail and took her usual route which was the shorter one. "Of course I can. So, first off, what's the problem?" She waved her hands around. "The problem? The problem is that, uh, that. Shit, what is the problem?" She came to an abrupt stop. "That, something is, something is wrong with Loki." She stared fiercely into the trees. "Well that just explains everything. Great job." She started walking in a circle, taking a deep breath. "Start with what you know. What is not right? Okay, shouldn't be using his magic. He told me he wouldn't. But he is. He's using all of it." Lexie stopped and looked down at the ground, quietly she asked, "does that make him a liar? Was he lying to me? Is Clint right?" She closed her eyes. Her hand squeezed her water bottle. She growled, "No, he wouldn't lie to me." She growled again and slapped her palm to her forehead, stretching up on her toes. She should have brought something for the headache she could feel creeping up on her.

She started walking down the path again. She started muttering, "Okay. He shouldn't be using his magic and he is. So, is that it? Is that the one thing that I know is wrong?" She stopped and stared off unseeing into the trees. Slowly she her head. "No, no, that's not what's wrong."

Walking again she kept her eyes on the trail. "What is it? Something is different about him than before and you know it. What is it?" She stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, opening them she started walking back and forth on the trail. Pacing few steps one way then back again, still muttering to herself.

"Uh, are you all right?"

Lexie yelped and turned towards the voice. Standing still on the trail about twenty feet. Male, maybe mid thirties or younger, hard to tell with the floppy hat and scruffy beard but he looked like a typical bird watcher. Clipboard, binoculars, tan vest with way too many pockets and jean shorts with white socks in hiking boots. His red polo shirt seemed a little out of place but maybe birds were colorblind. 

Lexie had a hand on her chest. "Yes, yes I'm fine." She wheezed out.

The man had his hands out, one holding the clipboard the other reached up and took his hat off revealing short sandy blonde hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you but I figured I better say something before just walking up on you. You seemed like you were having pretty intense conversation." He had golden eyes with flecks of green, they were pretty amazing with long lashes.

Lexie's face flushed. "Uh, yeah. I was. Just trying to work something out and I needed to get outside to do it."

He was nodding. "I know what you mean. It's where I do my best thinking. I'm Ryan, by the way. I'm doing a research project here, earning my degree."

Lexie walked over to him and they shook hands, "Lexie. I figured you were a researcher." His handshake was firm but he didn't crush her hand. He had smooth calluses on his palm.

"You must be from Stark Industries." There wasn't a real question in the comment.

Lexie nodded, "Yeah." There wasn't any point in denying it, she obviously wasn't out here earning a degree. 

"Crazy what happened last week. We heard the explosions. I hope everyone was okay." Ryan looked like he was truly concerned.

Lexie nodded, "Yeah, pretty crazy. Thankfully everyone was fine." She ignored the Hydra agents, they didn't count.

"Good to hear." His smile was nice. "Well, I'm going to let you go, you need to finish your conversation." Now his smile turned into a grin that Lexie had to return with a rather embarrassed one of her own. "And I need to go log my numbers. But hopefully I'll see you around again."

Lexie nodded, "you never know, you just might."

He nodded and slapped his hat back on and with a wave moved along the trail. Lexie watched him for a moment, he didn't turn around and he took the trail that would lead him toward the front of the refuge. Turning to continue her walk she found that she still had a grin on her face.

She walked on. "Girl, you have got to get a grip. And get out more. You talk to one random guy in the woods and you're grinning like an idiot." She shook her head. "Yeah he was cute but, really." Lexie thought of Ryan's pretty eyes and suddenly she was comparing him to Loki. He had been tall but not nearly as tall as the god, sandy blonde hair cut short instead of past his shoulders, golden green eyes instead of emerald green. Tan skin instead of pale white. A smile that came easy instead of one that Lexie still had to see. Loki's opposite.

Lexie stopped as if she had slammed into an invisible wall. She thought back over what had gone through her mind. "Oh my God. That's it. That's what's wrong. That's it." She started to jog back to the complex. Taking the loop that would bring her back to the gate. Her mind racing she tried to keep her speed up but by the time she got to the gate she was panting.

Trying to punch in the code she just hopped she wouldn't pass out. "God, you have, got to, do more, cardio. Steve loves, cardio. You gotta, run with him. Horrible man." She walked through the gate and onto the lawn just in time to see a helicopter set down on a landing pad near the residential building. As she was walking to the area where Thor's sign was burned into the grass she watched as Tony and Bruce exited. They didn't see her right away.

Stepping onto the design Lexie leaned over on to her knees but still managed to turn her head to look upwards. She had caught her breath slightly during the walk and wasn't in danger of passing out but she still had to take a deep breath before speaking. "Okay, Heimdall, I don't know if I have to be right here to talk to you or not but Thor said you would be listening. I need him to come back. Somethings wrong with Loki and no ones listening to me and I need Thor to come back and help me." She stopped because that was a lot to say in one breath. "I know I'm right but, I need Thor. So, if you could go get him, I'd appreciate it." She stepped off the design and waited. Looking skyward she slowly turned in a circle.

"What are you doing?"

Lexie jumped and let out a startled yelp. "Jeezus, Tony!" She put her hand to her heart.

"Just Tony is fine. Again, what are you doing?" He was standing there next to a frowning Bruce who was glancing skyward as though expecting something to fall out of the sky.

"I was asking Heimdall to send Thor down."

Tony grinned. "It doesn't exactly work that way." He reached out and took her arm, "come on. Lets go wait inside. This could take awhile."

Reluctantly she let him tug her away and she slid her arm around his waist. After a couple steps she stopped and looked at him. "Oh my god, what happened to your face? Are you okay? F.R.I.D.A.Y. wouldn't tell us what happened to you."

Tony grinned and tugged her back into walking. "Yes, I'm fine. Just sore." Bruce snorted. Lexie leaned past Tony to look at Bruce and Tony used his free hand to push her face back. "Ignore him."

"Ignore the doctor?"

"Why not? I do." They were at the residential building and Bruce pulled the door open. "Thanks Bruce."

"Uh huh." Bruce shook his head. "guess you wont be doing that for awhile."

Lexie looked at Tony who just rolled his eyes. "You know Bruce. He's so dramatic." Tony had let Lexie go at the door, now he was heading to the elevator. "So lets go check out our guest. Where's Barton?"

"Right here." The voice came from above them. The man himself seemed to drop from out of no where to land in the living area. He gave a shrug of his shoulders and followed them into the elevator.

Down the one level to Loki's cell. To Lexie it seemed to take forever. She watched the door but she felt everyone's eyes on her. They were waiting for her reaction and she was determined to not give them one. She blanked her face. Still, when the doors opened she was the first one out.

And there he was. Exactly the same as he was when they left him. Standing facing them, full height, eyes staring with menace. But not at Lexie. He never acknowledged her. His scorn was only for the three men standing in front of him. As they moved closer he began moving, pacing, never taking his eyes from them. Just looking from one to the other as he stalked.

Lexie moved to stand in the area where he was pacing. She put her hand up on the glass in front of his face. He seemed to look right through her. Pacing, back and forth.

"Somethings wrong with him." Lexie spoke firmly.

Clint's arms were folded across his chest, the t shirt tight and stretching against his muscles on his arms. "Not this again."

Tony looked between the two. "What again?"

Clint waved at Lexie, "She thinks somethings wrong with him. Besides being insane."

Lexie glared at Clint. "I don't think it. I know it." She stabbed at the glass while looking at Tony. "That's not Loki. At least not the same Loki that's been in here all this time."

"What? What'd you mean?" Bruce's voice was alarmed and he shifted on his feet. "Of course that's Loki." He looked at the god in concern.

Tony's voice was curious as he studied Loki. "Really?" His voice may have been mild but his insides were churning. His arms were folded to hide the shaking he knew his hands would be doing. He was staring right at his nightmare. This wasn't the Loki they had picked up. This was the Loki he had been expecting. The one from New York. Who had thrown him out his own window. Who had tried to kill him. Tried to kill his friends. Had killed so many others. This Loki looked exactly as he remember him. Crazy. Eyes glittering with insanity. A sneer on his face as he looked from the three men, giving each an equal amount of his scorn. "What makes you think that?" He got no answer so he looked to Lexie who was staring at Loki while biting her bottom lip. "Come on. You have a reason, lets hear it."

She gave him a sideways look, still biting her lip. Taking a deep breath she spoke quietly, "his hair is too short."

There was silence for a single second then Clint howled. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" He took a step towards Lexie but Tony shifted feet and blocked him. "His hair is too short?" He threw his arms in the air and spun around, "his hair is too short."

He turned to continue his rant at Lexie but Bruce put an arm out, sticking his hand in Clint's face, to stop him from saying anything. Bruce quietly spoke, trying to say something neutral. "I don't know Lexie."

"Well I do. I washed his hair. And it was long. Look at his hair now. It touches his shoulders. Just like it did before. In New York. He looks just like that Loki. He looks nothing like the Loki I know."

"Wait. What did you say?" Tony turned his head from looking intently at Loki to looking intently at Lexie. "Did you say you washed his hair?"

Lexie dismissively waved off Tony's question, "he wouldn't let me give him a shower so that's all I could do. And his hair was long and now-"

Tony turned his whole body and he wasn't the only one to focus all of their attention on Lexie. In fact the only one not focused on Lexie was Loki. Tony raised both of his hands up. "Stop right there and back up the crazy train. What in the hell do you mean you were trying to give bag of crazy a shower? Were you in there?"

Clint raised his hands. "That's what I've been talking about!" He looked at Lexie with a grin. A big brother who knows he just got his little sister in major trouble. Lexie narrowed her eyes at him and somehow his grin got even bigger.

Tony glared at him. "Well since this is the first I'm hearing about it you're doing a pretty shitty job talking about it." Tony did a double take at Bruce, the man was standing there with his hands on his head, eyes closed. "Bruce?" Tony's voice was dangerously low, a rumble in his chest. "Something you want to share with me?"

Lexie stepped up to Tony, "will you listen to me? Uhhg." She raised her hands to her face, suddenly knowing exactly how Loki felt when she wasn't understanding him. "I'm trying to tell you something important. More important than showers or hair washing. I'm trying to tell you that the Loki you're looking at is all wrong."

Reluctantly and with a quietly hissed, "we're not finished," to Bruce, Tony turned back to look at Loki who hadn't stopped or slowed his pacing. Tony stared. His mind watched. Loki moved and paced. His face a contemptuous snarl. Tony ran a hand over his incision. He dropped his hand but Bruce noticed.

There was a faint sound that pulled everyone except Tony's attention away from Loki. F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice spoke, "Mr. Odinson has arrived. I've directed him down here."

No one spoke. Tony's eyes continued to follow Loki. Starting at his helmet and working all the way down to his boots. Then slowly moving their way back up. By the time the elevator doors opened Tony had moved right up to the wall. Loki had stopped and slowly turned his head to look at Tony but hadn't otherwise moved.

Thor came in, instantly gasping at seeing Loki in his battledress leathers. He stumbled in taking a step but recovered and quickly walked up to the wall. He looked at the dried blood, the still unmade bed. "What happened?" He demanded. No one answered. He put a huge hand on Tony and pushed him around."What happened, Stark?"

Tony hunched, his hand going to his incision while he hissed in pain. Thor now used the hand on Tony's shoulder to steady Tony who closed his eyes. "Damn it, Sparks. I'm a little more delicate than your Asgardian lady friends."

"What happened?" Thor's voice was less angry but still demanding to be answered. "Did Loki do that to your face?"

Tony pulled himself upright. "Wish he did." Tony looked to Lexie. "You called Big Brother." He waved a hand at Thor. "You need to be the one to explain. Besides, you're the only one who seems to knows all the pieces."

Lexie nodded and looked to Thor. "First, that's not the, right Loki. I don't know what's going on, but somethings not right with him."

Thor turned to stare at Loki who had started pacing again, this time he included Thor in his glare. Tony began studying Loki again but this time he was staring at Loki's boots.

"I was getting through to him, it was taking time but he was starting to talk."

Thor cut her off. "He was talking to you? Telling you about Thanos?" There was a hopeful look on his face, he glanced up at Loki.

"No, no. Thor, it wasn't that kind of conversation. It wasn't even a conversation. Not really, not till the end. And that was just a conversation compared to what we had before."

"What do you mean the end? The end of what?" 

"Listen to me." Lexie came over and put a hand on Thor's arm. "There was a misunderstanding. Loki was talking to me, he was upset. He was talking about Thanos." Tony looked to Lexie in surprise but said nothing.

"That's wonderful!" Thor grabbed her by both arms, a grin on his face. "Then he has answers he's willing to provide."

"Thor." Lexie's voice was sharp. "Will you listen to me. We can talk about that later. Right now you need to just be quiet and let me finish without interrupting me."

Tony raised an eyebrow, Bruce raised both and Clint just looked wide eyed at Lexie. Thor simply looked a little taken aback. He straightened to his full height to look down at her then gave a nod of his head. "Of course, Lady Allexandria."

Lexie rolled her eyes but continued. "There was a misunderstanding, Like I said, Loki was upset. I was in the cell talking to him, he had been pacing and I ended up in a corner. Clint came in, he saw the blood on the walls, he saw Loki and I. He thought I was in danger." Thor clenched his jaws, he slid a glance to Clint who rolled up on his toes as if stretching before sudden action. "Clint tried to protect me and he and Loki got into a fight." Lexie kept her hands on Thor's arms, she looked right into his eyes. "Loki ended up getting, the worst of it."

Thor pushed past Lexie, away from Clint but everyone still was tense. Thor pressed his lips together tightly, taking a deep breath through his nose before turning back to stare at Clint. "How bad did you hurt him?"

Clint raised his chin and met the god's eyes. "Bad." Then he shrugged. "But he got up right after."

"Looking like this?" Thor waved his hand at Loki.

"Yes."

Thor turned and walked back to the wall and stared as his brother walked by and was included in the hateful looks given to the other men. He looked Loki over from helmet to boots, watching every twitch and step. Then he glanced over his shoulder at Lexie then back to Loki. "This isn't Loki."

"Oh come on." Clint muttered. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

Bruce groaned. "Why not?" He sounded disappointed.

Tony spoke up. "It's some kind of projection."

Thor looked at him in surprise, nodding. "It's one of his illusions."

Tony nodded thoughtfully, still watching Loki pace by. "That makes sense. It's on a loop. Eight steps the right, clench his fists. Five steps to the left, clench his right fist. Blinks on the third step to the left. Blinks on the second and sixth steps to the right. Same pattern, over and over. Though I don't know why he hasn't acknowledged Lexie at all. It's like he doesn't even see her."

Bruce spoke up. "Probably the same reason he allows him to touch her."

Thor looked back at him. "He allows Mage Strange."

Bruce shook his head, "No. He tolerates Strange. Not the same thing."

There was a moment of silence then Lexie asked impatiently, "well? Are we going in?"

Thor and Tony turned to look at her in surprise. Tony spoke up. "First of all, you're not going in there so don't even bother asking. And just because we agree this isn't him doesn't mean we can just go in there with no plan." Tony looked the cell over. "He's in there hiding behind his magic for a reason. Open the door and you let the genie out of the bottle."

Cint added, "just waiting for us to go inside so he can attack."

Lexie huffed. "He's not going to attack you." She rolled her eyes.

Tony ran a hand over his face. "And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Because this illusion is one that's sure to keep you out of the cell. If he wanted to get you inside he wouldn't have created an illusion in the first place. Or he would have picked one that would have given you a false sense of security. Not put you on alert."

Tony and Thor exchanged looks then Tony looked back at Lexie. "That' s my girl." He gave her a grin. "And that's why you get paid the big bucks." 

Tony reached for the door handle and Thor put out a hand and stopped him. "No. He's my brother, I will go in." Everyone in the room also knew Tony was in no shape to handle any type of physical altercation if one broke out. Tony nodded and stepped back. Taking a steadying breath Thor pulled the door open and stepped inside. The door shut behind him with a click as the locks engaged.

If there was any doubt in anyone's mind that this was an illusion, it disappeared the moment there was no reaction from Loki. He continued to pace for several more steps before stopping and seeming to listen. His head tilted, then he turned to look at Thor. There was no change in expression. Thor walked forward until he was within arms length. He slowly raised his hand to touch Loki and it passed right through. Loki moved like he was made of water.

Even though she was expecting it Lexie still let out a small gasp and a hand went to her mouth. The figure wavered some more then vanished. They all looked around the cell, it remained empty. 

Tony pulled the door open and Clint followed him inside. Bruce stepped forward and grasped Lexie's shoulders when she would have followed. "Wait." He whispered. "Just wait."

And then he appeared. Exactly where he had risen from. Exactly in the same condition he had been in before. Battered and bloody except now the blood had dried to black. Curled into a lose ball, an arm pulled over his head.

"Loki!" Thor called out, moving to his brother. 

Tony called as he too moved to Loki, "Bruce!"

Lexie made a horrible sound but Bruce didn't let her go. He moved in front of her blocking her view. Bending to try to look into her eyes he spoke forcefully. "Lexie, Lexie, listen to me! I need to go in there and help him but I need you to help him too. Okay? Okay?"

"What? What do you want me to do?"

"Go upstairs into my lab and get the medical bed ready. I need the trauma kit pulled. F.R.I.D.A.Y. can show you where it's at. I need warm blankets pulled and a saline bag warmed. F.R.I.D.A.Y. can walk you through that too. Okay? Can you do that?" He pulled her chin up and made sure she was looking right into his eyes.

Lexie nodded, "Yeah, yes, I can."

"Okay, go. Go." He pushed her towards the elevator. "You've gotta be ready for us." He waited until the doors closed before turning to he cell door. "You got all that F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"Yes Doctor. Though most of those requirements are already prepped."

"I know. Just keep her busy and up there." Bruce entered the cell and pushed past Clint who was standing more or less in shock, his hands folded on top of his head, he stared down at his handiwork. Tony couldn't kneel so he had one hand holding his side while the other was resting on Thor's shoulder while he simply leaned forward. Thor was trying to decide where he could put his hands on Loki without hurting him.

Bruce pushed them all out of the way. "Move, move out of my way." He knelt down and checked for a pulse. He found a faint one then put his hands on Loki's shoulder. "Roll him on his back." As soon as Thor touched Loki and tried to roll him Loki groaned and stiffened. He tried to raise his hand and push at Bruce and Thor's hands. His body flinched, his eyes tried to open and his legs moved slightly. His breathing became obviously pained and ragged. He struggled to move, he wanted away from them.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. scan for any broken bones."

"Negative, Doctor."

"We need to move him." Bruce stood.

Thor reached down and scooped Loki up, one arm under his knees the other under his shoulders. His brother still felt so light. Shifting Loki in his arms Thor made sure Loki's head rested against his chest. There had once been a time long ago when Thor had carried him from a battlefield when Loki had been stabbed through. Loki had fought him the entire way despite his blood loss and being near to death. Now Loki couldn't even keep his eyes open. His face was battered and bloody. Again.

Upstairs Lexie had just about talked herself into going back down. F.R.I.D.A.Y. had talked her out of it by insisting that the elevator needed to be waiting to bring everyone up. When she finally heard the doors open she was standing with her hands on her head taking deep breaths. When she saw Thor carrying Loki she pressed her lips together to keep any sounds she might make inside rather than letting them escape. Loki was physically right back where he had started. 

Thor placed him on the bed while Bruce came around the other side. Bruce needed steady hands to help him. He looked to Lexie. Her mouth was pinched and she was pale. Thor looked thunderous and his hands kept flexing into fists. Tony was sweating and looked ready to pass out. Clint looked stone faced.

Bruce grabbed Lexie by her shoulders, leaned forward and quickly said into her ear, "I need you to take Tony to sit down." She pulled away to protest but he didn't let her. "He's ready to faceplant, Lexie, but he won't go unless he thinks you need him. Take him to get something to eat, he hasn't eaten in days." Not exactly true, he had eaten snacks, but close enough.

Lexie moved over to Tony, she saw how bad he looked as she came closer. Taking his arm she asked, "Come with me, Tony? I can't stay here and I don't want to be by myself?"

Tony looked at Bruce who was already talking to Thor then just nodded. "Sure. Lets go find a drink."

Thor followed them. "I will go along with you. We will wait together for Doctor Banner to finish his work."

Clint watched them leave the room then looked at Bruce who was staring at him. "What?"

Bruce pointed to Loki. "You're helping me."

"What?" Clint sneered, "you've got to be kidding. Why me?"

"Because you're the only one not emotionally invested. Besides, you owe him."

"Bullshit. I don't owe him anything." Clint stepped back and folded his arms. "He can curl up and die for all I care." He stared down at Loki in disgust.

Bruce grabbed Clint by the shirt and throat before the archer knew it. "You will help me. You don't get to decide the fate of the universe just because you have a personal vendetta with Loki. You may have almost killed him because of letting your anger get the best of you." Bruce relaxed as he stared into the stunned eyes of the archer. "And trust me, as someone who knows what that feels like, you don't want to live with the consequences of doing that too many times."

Going back to the trauma kit Bruce grabbed a box of gloves and threw them at Clint. "Glove up."

Upstairs Tony had made his way to the bar and grabbed a glass and the first bottle in reach. He took both to the couch and settled himself on one end. As he poured, the bottle tapped against the glass as his hands shook. Thor reached out and took the bottle and finished pouring. "Thanks, Point Break. Fill one for yourself."

Thor shook his head, going to set the bottle on the coffee table except Tony made a noise of protest so he handed it back to Tony. "Thank you but it serves no purpose drinking Midgardian alcohol."

Tony nodded after taking several swallows, apologizing to the god of top shelf alcohol for drinking this absurdly expensive ambrosia like it was cheap beer. He felt the relaxing rush that came from drinking on an empty stomach while still having seriously good pain meds running through his veins. He closed his eyes and melted back into the couch. He wanted to put his feet up on the couch or the coffee table but he didn't think he could do it. He was just glad he had dressed in a t shirt and sweat pants, at least he was comfortable.

Lexie was in the kitchen. She was staring at the inside of the fridge. The door was open and she was looking but she didn't see anything. She felt someone standing next to her but she still didn't move, she felt frozen. The door was pushed closed and she slowly turned to look at Thor. He was looking at her with concern in his expression but he didn't say anything. Reaching out he pulled her in to him for a gentle hug that enclosed her completely in his massive arms, encircling her in warmth. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"How did you know it wasn't him?" His words rumbled deep in his chest, almost tickling her ear that was resting against him.

"His hair was too short."

There was a moment where she felt him hold his breath then he gave a laugh, bending backwards, lifting her off her feet. "What? His hair?" He finally chuckled out. He set her back down and let her go so he could look at her. "I don't understand, you'll have to explain yourself."

Opening the fridge door again and starting to grab sandwich makings she put things on the island countertop. "His hair is long now, on his shoulders. The Loki that was in the cell had shorter hair. Like he did in New York."

Thor was shaking his head. "And that's what told you that it was an illusion?"

She shook her head, "no, I just knew something wasn't right. That the Loki I was seeing wasn't the Loki I had been talking to. I hadn't really thought about it being an actual illusion." She started making sandwiches in an assembly line. Glancing at Thor she asked, "Why do you think he did that?"

"Made an illusion?" He shrugged, still smiling. "I don't know. Protection most likely. The same as that mist. It was a protection when he couldn't protect himself." Thor looked over at Tony who seemed to be asleep. "I have to admit I thought Loki would be physically safer here than it's turned out he's been."

Lexie stopped her work and turned to look at Thor. "I'm sorry about that."

"For what? You have nothing to apologize for, Lady Allexandria." Thor's smile had turned sad.

"I told you I would help take care of him. And I haven't done a very good job of it considering how many times he's ended up," she waved her hands. "Unconscious." She went back to making sandwiches.

"Never think that anything that's happened to Loki is your fault. Very few people have any control of events when Loki is concerned. He's chaos." He shook his head. "You've done more for Loki than anyone has done for him in a very long time. I'm sure when he wakes up he will express his gratitude." Thor shifted away and grabbed an apple from a fruit bowl.

Back to making sandwiches Lexie started chewing on her bottom lip. "Yeah, about that. Loki expressing himself." She glanced at Thor. "Don't expect too much from him. He's still struggling to get the words out."

Thor picked up another apple, nearly done with his first. "Don't worry. When he wakes he'll recover. He's already improved so much in just the few days with you."

Lexie nodded, cutting the sandwiches in half, placing them on a platter. "I hope so." She grabbed the basket of chips from the cabinet and tossed napkins in it then handed it to Thor. She grabbed the platter of sandwiches and headed over to the couch where Tony sat, Thor following behind her.

Tony looked like he was sleeping. The empty glass was on his stomach with his hand loosely around it while the bottle was sitting between his legs. He opened an eye when Lexie and Thor came over, noticing Lexie's worried face. She may have been here with them but she was still thinking about what was happening with Loki. He sighed, and muttered, "Don't worry, kid. Bruce will get Reindeer Games fixed up and he'll be back to stabbing Thor in no time."

Thor gave a faint grin while biting his apple. Lexie didn't look amused. "I'm not a kid and we don't know what's going on. You guys keep beating the crap out of him and expecting him to be fine."

Tony watched her keep chewing on her lip. He grunted a neutral reply. There wasn't an argument he could give to her comment. He took another large swallow of his drink. He felt guilt itching the back of his neck until the alcohol dulled it. 

In the silence Lexie spoke."Tony you need to eat something. You can't just drink." Lexie had set the platter down on the coffee table. Now she wrapped half a turkey and cheese sandwich in a napkin and held it out to him. "Here, eat this."

"I'm good." Tony mumbled.

"Nope, you need to eat something." Lexie reached over and took the glass from his hand and set it on the coffee table. Tony's eyes popped open, even his swollen one. When she reached for the bottle he reacted without thought and yanked the waistband of his sweatpants out and shoved the bottle inside. The waistband closed around the neck which poked up several inches. 

Tony looked down then up to meet Lexie's stunned expression. A devil's grin slowly spread over his face. He dared her to do something.

Thor sat in a chair, half eaten apple in one hand and a final bite of sandwich in the other. He stared at the two, his eyes bouncing back and forth. He was already confused about so many Midgardian courting rituals. He would have sworn that this was one however he knew that Stark claimed a serious relationship with the Lady Potts. And that Lady Allexandria claimed no relationship with Stark other than friendship. And yet Thor knew that even on Midgard hiding objects from a Lady down ones breaches could be considered a courting ritual.

Lexie sputtered, "Have you, lost your, you take that out."

"Make me."

Lexie leaned forward and grabbed the bottle neck from the top with her fingers while Tony just smirked and started laughing then winced and his hand went to his incision.

"That's what you get." She shoved the sandwich in his free hand. "Eat that, you freak."

"Can I have some chips?" She threw a bag at him. "I don't like those. The others, you know which one's are my favorites." Lexie tossed a different bag. "Thanks."

Thor slowly took a bite from his apple. He really needed to speak to someone.

Tony winked at her. "Hey, at least you forgot about Loki for a minute."

Bruce finished covering the last cut with a bandage and medical tape, he doubted Loki would have a scar. There had been some hairline fractures that on a human would have been broken bones and some deep bruising but nothing too concerning. Excepting the fact that Loki wasn't gaining consciousness. He flinched away every time Bruce touched him and became absolutely agitated when Clint put hands on him. He pushed at both of their hands the entire time but he never woke. When they left him alone he settled down, quiet, not moving. But the bruise along the side of his face, disappearing past his temple into his black hair had Bruce worried.

It took them about forty-five minutes to fix him up then clean the blood off him. Bruce didn't bother putting a shirt on Loki, he wanted to keep an eye on the bruises and scrapes as they healed. Loki's knee was his most serious injury. Clint had taken Loki down with a vicious side kick that had hyper extended the gods joint. That would take a longer time to heal, meanwhile the knee was swollen, a nasty bruise developing.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., go ahead and let the rest know that we're finished here. They can come down." Bruce cleaned up the area of medical supplies and trash then pulled his gloves off. Washing his hands he glanced at Clint. "You make a pretty good medic."

"Basic S.H.I.E.L.D. training and too much practice." Clint tossed his own gloves in the trash. "Wish the patient was different." He shrugged holding his hands up. "Not gonna hide my feelings, Doc. I hate him and always will. At least you know I'm honest, right?"

"Hmm, yeah." Bruce went back over to Loki and checked the rate of his IV flow. The god needed fluids, he was dehydrated and Bruce thought he looked even worse than the last time he'd seen him. Learning his lesson from Tony, Bruce had wrapped the line around Loki's arm and made sure to secure it down with wide medical tape. 

The door to the lab opened and Thor and Lexie walked in. They came right over to the bed where Loki lay and took in the sight. Tony followed in a moment later, he sat in the first chair he found and sat, arms crossed. 

Loki lay sitting up on the bed, pillows under each arm. The sheets were pulled up to mid chest, his uninjured leg was under it, the injured leg propped on a pillow at the knee. A light gauze wrapping held an ice wrap to all sides of the knee, hiding the majority of the damage from view. Loki's face and torso had been roughly cleaned of most of the blood though streaks still remained. A few bandages covered the deeper cuts. There was actually a bruise in the shape of a boot heel where Clint must have given either a particularly vicious stomp or kick on Loki's side.

Clint had met both Lexie and Thor's eyes when they had noticed it. He stood with his arms crossed. He wasn't going to make an excuse for what he had done. He didn't feel like he needed to make an excuse. Deal with it. Move on. Or not. He didn't care.

Thor looked to Bruce, "how is he?"

"No broken bones but a few fractures. I'm surprised he still has bruises though. Seems he would have healed past that already. It's just going to take time."

Lexie stood next to the bed and looked down at Loki, studying him. She was wondering how many times he was going to end up right back here, in this room, tucked in a corner of Bruce's lab.


	14. Chapter 14

Loki walked carefully across the black sand, his boots could sometimes would make sounds as the sand shifted. There were so many hidden dangers within this sand. Pleasures and pains, both which brought him to his knees. Sometimes it would shift abruptly and he would find himself falling.

He would often find himself landing in giant caverns that were brightly lit. The inside filled with opulent luxuries and beautiful men and women enjoying every indulgence that could be wished for. A hazy, dreamlike quality. He had joined in, the wine had only a forgotten memory of flavor but he indulged past all his limits. The food which should have burst with taste had settled uneasy in his stomach till he found himself vomiting onto the black sand only to begin again. Too many times he had tried pushing hands away from him to find that his will failed him but after he woke he found that he didn't remember any actual feelings of pleasure. Just the thought of it. And an unsettled feeling of time lost. Wasted. Yet every time he fell he indulged again. 

This time when he fell he did nothing different. He looked at the black sand beneath his knees. Reaching down he grabbed a handful and brought it up to eye level and let it run through his long pale fingers. He hated it. It stuck to him, his body, his clothes. It was always with him. In the drink. In the food. He could taste it, smell it. He sometimes thought he was choking on it, breathing it deep into his lungs.

Hands pulled him to his feet, glittering gold shapes that shifted and danced in and out of his vision. A dream. A beautiful dream. A goblet pressed into his hands. Lips pressed to his. Hands pulling, tugging. The same as always. Beautiful delights to drown in. And drown in it he did. He had resisted at first. There had been the desire to continue to somewhere else. But quickly it faded as it had become obvious that there was no where better than here. So he stayed. Until that itching on the back of his neck grew too painful to ignore and he had to get up and try to see what was past all the bodies and tables of exotic wonders.

Once he pushed around the rock he saw another cavern. Looking back the cavern behind him was dark and empty. Nothing there. Nothing had ever been there and the fear inside him gave him cause to run, to remember that his desire was to escape. He ran on the shifting black sand and felt himself falling.

Landing painfully on sharp rocks Loki rolled as best he could, muscle memory bringing him to his feet rather than any conscious thought. He looked around, this cavern was empty. He moved forward in the dimness, there was no obvious sign of where the faint light came from, he no longer even wondered at that mystery. 

It was his peripheral vision that allowed him to see the attack before it was too late. He dove into the black sand, coming up with long, curved daggers in his hands. Prepared and facing his enemy in a crouch. There was no one in front of him. He spun in a circle, blades out.

A low chuckle filled the cavern. Loki felt ice cold sweat break out on his skin. Impossible. His eyes widened. His breathing turned to open mouthed gasps. He swallowed. Again he turned to see in every direction and again that laugh, low and throaty.

"No. I killed you." Loki raised both blades. "I killed you! Show yourself!" The words were madness. They fit his thoughts.

From a too close shadow Laufey stepped out. His towering form filling the cavern, aggressively walking forward while Loki stepped back in confused horror. Both blades pointed at the Frost Giant, Loki felt his back slam into the sharp rock wall which sliced into his skin. Laufey again chuckled with a terrifying grin. He stopped. "Still a worthless waste of flesh. Cowering in the darkness."

Loki spat at him, "I killed you!" He moved forward, "I can do it again."

Laufey leaned forward. "Break." His grin grew wider.

Loki appeared stunned. His blades wavered. His voice whispered, "What?"

"Break. Break and become worthy at last."

Loki shook his head. He blinked tightly. "No. No." Loki raised his blades and a look of fury came over his face. Fury, hate and pure spite. Then he attacked. Loki was a Blademaster. He attacked on the offense and never stopped. Once one Laufey went down another took his place. And another and another. Loki never hesitated. He may not crave battle as Thor did but he was trained to have the stamina to fight for hours and he did. Until the bodies were piled high and Loki climbed on top of them to slay the next one and the next. Until there were no more.

In a battle rage that he had rarely felt before, Loki looked around. His muscles trembled from adrenaline. That feeling he knew like a favorite pair of boots. But the haze in his mind was dragging at him, a weight he had never felt before. It moved through his mind like a thick, black storm, battering and blowing everything away before it, untill the landscape was unrecognizable. Climbing to the highest point he screamed, "You have no more, Father?" He turned in a circle, balancing on the bodies of Laufey. "Nothing else to try to torment me with? Is this the best you can do? Nothing new? Do you think you will win with old tricks? I am. A. God!" His voice ragged and hoarse from screaming during his slaughter he tried laughing but it caught in his throat. "I will not break! I will not! Do you hear me, old man? I will not!" He threw back his head, blades thrown high, he screamed. Screamed till he collapsed on the bodies of his dead father.

The sound of metal on stone. Loki turned his head to look. 

A brilliant flash of blinding light. Searing deep. Beyond vision. The sound of Gungnir pulsed through his body. Through his skull. Into his mind. The pain reverberated into his soul. Loki was broken free. From his memory? His vision? Dream? There was no where to go. Where could he hide? He had no where. He was lost. A crack appeared.

The mood inside the lab was subdued except for Tony. Clint had disappeared after helping with Loki. Thor hadn't yet made his way back so only Bruce, Lexie and Tony were there. Bruce was working on several projects, including Tony's blood results and trying to decipher Loki's. Lexie was sitting on a chair next to Loki's bed, once more reading her book. And Tony was setting up his own experiments.

Bruce finally noticed Tony, he watched as he set one more item on Loki's bed, attempting to attach an alligator clip to Loki's finger. "Tony, what are you doing? Is that a voltage meter?" There was disbelief in his tone.

"Yep." Bruce came over and tried to reach for the clip but Tony blocked him. He couldn't get it on Loki's finger with Bruce jabbing his hand in the way.

"That's not medical equipment. You can't just attach stuff to people. Besides, those hurt." Bruce stabbed at finger at the clip. Lexie looked up, a frown on her face.

"He's not awake. He doesn't even feel it." Tony dismissively waved a hand before putting both hands on his hips, leaving the meter on the bed, out of Bruce's reach. "And just because something isn't your fancy medical tech, which by the way I built most of, doesn't mean it's not worth hooking our little test bunny up to."

"Okay, first of all. We don't use animals for testing, ever. And second, you got that out of your garage." Bruce mimicked Tony with his own hands on his hips. 

"So?" Tony crossed his arms, scowling.

"So it's not even clean, Tony." Bruce's tone made it clear that he shouldn't even have to explain something so obvious.

Tony gasped. "I will have you know you could eat off that."

Lexie snickered and rolled her eyes. The two men looked at her. She grinned. "You guys are like two-"

Multiple small actions happened all at once to create one large event. First Loki tried to arch up on the bed but rolled because of his propped up injured knee. He had cried out, a guttural noise that tore from behind clenched teeth. The voltage meter sparked violently, black, noxious smoke rising from it. Tony grabbed it and tossed it across the lab. Lexie scrambled out of the chair and backed away.

Bruce moved forward, grasping for one of Loki's arms but just as quickly as it had happened Loki's body dropped bonelessly back to the bed, still and silent. Everyone was motionless for just a moment, waiting to see if anything else was going to happen.

Tony shook his head, "That wasn't my fault." he muttered. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. what did your sensors pick up?"

"An unknown power surge conducting through Mister Odinson. Localized to his cranium."

At the same moment all three noticed the blood coming from Loki's nose and ears. Bruce grabbed the trauma kit that had been stashed under the bed, pulling on gloves and grabbing gauze pads. 

Tony grabbed his own pair of gloves. "Tell me what to do, Bruce." His voice was calm and in control.

"More gauze. F.R.I.D.A.Y. run a scan."

"I'm showing severe head trauma."

Lexie looked from Bruce to Loki, her face was struggling to keep her emotions in check. This entire situation just kept getting more and more intense in utterly unpredictable ways. She bit her lip, her hands grasping together but she tried to stay out of Bruce and Tony's way.

Bruce took the gauze Tony held out a wiped at the bright red blood. "Confirm there was no head trauma on any previous scans."

"Confirmed."

Tony shook his head. "So laying right here, in front of us, something happened that caused a major head trauma?"

They worked together, though there was nothing they could really do. They had no cause for the trauma, there was nothing they could try to repair. Just blood flowing for no apparent reason. 

Bruce wiped more blood from Loki's nose but it seemed to have stopped flowing. "Tony, this is magic. I'm really, really starting to hate magic." He grabbed a saline bottle, a large towel and started clearing the last of the blood out of Loki's ears so he could see if there was any visible damage in the ear canal.

"Starting to? I've hated it since my fourteenth birthday party with Mighty Max the Magnificent Magician. I mean, who trusts a guy who wears a hat that a rabbit shits in, you know?" Tony pulled off his gloves and threw them on the ground. He went over and picked up his voltage meter, fiddling with it. It was fried.

Bruce glanced up at Lexie, "you okay?" 

"Not really. But then this seems to be getting to be normal, so." She shrugged.

"No, this shouldn't ever be normal." Bruce tossed everything into the trash including his gloves. He activated a heads up display and started studying a scan of Loki's brain.

Any further talking was stopped as they watched Loki shift on the bed. His hands went to his head, pressing against his temples, his eyes squeezing tight. He quietly groaned in pain, one palm tapping against his forehead. Then he started to turn on to his side, a grunt of discomfort escaping his lips but it was unclear what caused it. His eyes fluttered, opening slightly but his hands dropped down over them, blocking the light.

Bruce spoke, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., drop lighting twenty-five percent." Loki didn't seem to acknowledge the darker room, his hands went back to hitting at his temples.

Lexie moved closer to the side of the bed, she recognized this behavior. She didn't touch him, she didn't even reach out for him. She just watched his eyes fight to open. Finally they did. They looked at her, there was a moments hesitation then his eyes closed. "Loki? Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

Tony and Bruce quietly moved closer. They watched so intently, hardly daring to breathe. Tony hadn't seen the two interact and Bruce wanted to see how it had changed while he was gone. Yet both men were aware of the danger. Loki wasn't restrained. Even Tony had been restrained.

Loki's eyes opened slightly, he raised them to Lexie's. She watched his hands continue to shade his eyes, the light must still be too bright. He pressed his fingers t his temples, frowned and licked his cracked lips. He tried to speak but nothing came out. He swallowed several times then tried again. When he spoke his voice was low, only Lexie was close enough to hear his words. "Do, do, I know you?"

Lexie took an involuntary breath in. She had been leaning close to Loki to hear his words, now she stood up abruptly. She looked down at him, his eyes looking up at her. They were pain filled, a frown growing deeper as she watched. She shook her head. "No." She cleared her throat and spoke louder. "No, you don't know me." She held her hand out to him, he looked at it almost in confusion, his eyes darting between it and her face. "It's okay. You don't know me."

He reached out hesitantly and with one finger touched her hand. He nodded, even in his pain his relief was obvious. "I don't know you." He whispered. "I don't know you." He closed his eyes and brought his hand back to press down against the top of his head, the other hand pressing into his temple.

Bruce and Tony moved closer, Tony asking, "What was that?"

Loki's eyes snapped open. They darted between the two men. "Do I know you?" His voice was harsher than it had been with Lexie. He struggled to keep his eyes open and focused.

Bruce said nothing but Tony quickly spoke up. "Damn sure do." Loki frowned and Tony rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes you do. I kicked your ass."

Under his breath Bruce muttered, "Tony."

"What? If he doesn't remember then I get to write history." He shrugged, "Fine. He kicked your ass." Tony pointed to Bruce with a thumb.

Loki struggled to look back and forth between them then shook his head. "Do not touch me."

Tony snorted. "Fine. You keep your hands off my planet."

"Tony, knock it off." Bruce moved closer and Loki tried to push back on the bed. Bruce looked between Loki's eyes. "Tony, confirm his pupils for me."

Tony leaned forward, his eye narrowing, an intense look furrowing his brow as his eyes darted back and forth. "He's got a blown pupil." He looked at Bruce in shock. "A concussion? How the hell did that happen?"

"God, I really hate magic." Bruce took a deep breath. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. contact Stephen and ask him to come here as soon he's able." Bruce rubbed at his bottom lip for a few seconds. He watched Loki look between he and Tony. Distrust clearly growing. At the same time the god was clearly in distress, he couldn't find a position to ease his obvious pain.

F.R.I.D.A.Y.s voice broke the silence. "Wong says he'll pass the message along."

Bruce blew out a breath, nodding. "Okay, well. Let's do this the old fashioned way."

"Which is what?" Lexie asked, her voice anxious.

"Keep him awake and as comfortable as possible. Don't agitate him, keep him calm. " Bruce grabbed the rolling chair Lexie had been sitting in. He raised the height to its maximum and motioned for her to sit. "And you're the only one who seems capable of doing that." 

Lexie carefully sat down in the chair, she watched Loki for anything she had seen before. He had gone back to pushing his palms against his temples and making small rocking motions. He couldn't find a comfortable position with his knee, he ended up simply turning and bending it as much as he could. He hunched over, his head hitting a pillow, his hands sliding around to the back of his neck which he grasped tightly.

Tony watched all of this. He stared at Lexie like he was watching a helpless animal unknowingly get closer and closer to a waiting predator. He took a step towards her and Bruce held out his arm to stop him without even looking at Tony. Hands fisting Tony turned his head away for a moment then looked back. He couldn't miss anything if there was danger. Bruce was good but Tony knew he was better at protecting Lexie. She belonged to him, it was his job to keep her safe.

Lexie scooted as close to the bed as she could then reached out and carefully put her arms around Loki's shoulders. He seemed to melt into her, leaning forward, relaxing. It lasted for a moment before he started pressing at his head, rubbing small circles. Lexie brought her hands up and began doing the same, massaging his scalp like she did when she washed his hair.

Groaning he sat up, eyes clenched shut. He hit his hands against his forehead and Lexie grabbed his hands and he pulled away from her, his eyes opening painfully. He stared at her and his hands in hers then looked back at her. "Do I know you?"

Lexie shook her head. "No, no you don't know me." Her throat felt like it was closing up.

His eyes closed and his head fell forward. "I don't know you."

Tony seemed to relax, he turned back and walked to a counter in the lab where he had set the voltage meter. Bruce came over to him with something in his hands. Tony glanced down at it then up at Bruce with a questioning expression.

"Blood sample time." Bruce said holding up a syringe and a tiny vial. "Don't worry. I just need a micro sample." Tony followed Bruce's head nod to the med cabinet.

Tony looked at his friends excited face and couldn't help be happy for him. Though he hated the thought of his being poked was the cause of Bruce's excitement, he knew this was what Bruce did best. Science. "You know, this science interest. You should go with it. You never know. Might lead to something." 

Bruce looked at Tony with his own grin, he knew Tony was probably his only close friend. And certainly the only person in his life who understood what it felt like to go on a quest for knowledge. "Ya think?"

Tony shrugged. "Or not."

Rolling his eyes, Bruce snorted, "thanks for the career advice. I'll keep it in mind." He pressed the band aid over the injection site.

Tony gave him a slap on the shoulder. "Excellent. We both know how good I am with giving practical life advice." Tony crossed his arms and watched the other two figures in the room. His good humor quickly fading.

"Hey, Tony?"

"Yep." Tony was tugging at his lip, he didn't like feeling like this.

"You had Max the Magician for your fourteenth birthday?" There was a laugh in Bruce's tone.

Tony didn't look away, his answer was distracted. "No, I had Mighty Max's assistant Monica for my fourteenth birthday."

There was silence for a moment then Bruce's voice, quiet and so very sad. "I'm so sorry, Tony."

Tony's head turned to look at Bruce, an expression of confused surprise on his face. "Sorry? About what?"

Bruce just looked at Tony for what seemed like a long time. His face was one that matched his voice, profound sadness that his best friend didn't understand that at fourteen he shouldn't have been having sex with the magician's assistant. And he should certainly be aware of that fact by now. Bruce finally just sighed and went back to his projects, he didn't really know how to give a simple answer to Tony's question.

Tony studied Bruce for a moment longer then turned and went back to watching the two figures at the bed.

Halfway across the room Lexie wasn't sure she was helping Loki at all. He seemed to be getting worse, his rocking becoming stronger. His hands fisting his hair when he wasn't pressing his hands against his skull. His groans becoming louder. She thought she could make out mutterings of words between the low guttural sounds coming from him. He moved on the bed, sitting sideways then forwards. Then at times seeming like he wanted to get to his knees.

Loki only felt the pain splitting his skull, tearing into his head. He was aware it came in waves, almost disappearing only to come back and steal his breath. If he could just reach inside his skull and crush the pain. Scrape it out. Or crawl away from it. Just escape it. He didn't care how.

He bent over, his head pointed at Lexie, he seemed still for a moment and she reached for his neck. She found that spot, that soft spot where his neck and his skull met, and she pressed with her fingers. Hard. She felt that involuntary reaction of him first moving away then pressing back against her. And then she moved her fingers, massaging that spot, slowly and firmly. Making circles, alternating pressure. She felt him relax, she saw his shoulders once more sink lower. His hands slid from his head and the long fingers lay still. When her fingers grew tired she stood and used her thumbs, making wider circles, going farther down his neck. She felt the knots along his muscles and went between his shoulder blades. But she always came back up to that one spot. And he always pressed back against her.

Over the next hour both Tony and Bruce would stop their work long enough to come over and check on what had changed. Only to see that very little had. Despite this their unease remained.

The door opened quietly and Thor came in on silent feet. Dressed in black jeans and a bright blue sweater he looked like any human who happened to look like a god. He saw Tony and Bruce acknowledge him but Thor's eyes were drawn to the two figures at the bed. He came closer and stopped to take everything in. Lexie standing beside the bed, she was obviously giving a still shirtless Loki a massage on his head, neck and bare shoulders. And Loki was hunched over, curled into a long limbed ball that was folded up into itself like a newborn foal.

Finally moving to the opposite side of the bed from Lexie Thor asked in a voice that seemed loud even though he was speaking quietly for him. "How long has he been like this?"

"Calm and not rolling in pain?" Lexie asked with a tired smile. "Not long enough."

Thor noticed the dried blood on the bed and pointed to it. "What happened?"

Bruce walked over, Tony following behind with an interested look on his face. He wanted to know what Thor knew about what could have happened to their Loki boy. 

Bruce was the one who explained, "Loki was just laying there when he yelled out and started bleeding from his nose and ears."

"What?" Thor looked fearful. He reached to clap Loki's head to look into his face but stopped himself at the last moment from touching him.

"Somehow just laying there he ended up with serious head trauma and a concussion. Any idea how that could happen? Has anything like it ever happened before?"

Thor was looking down at Loki while shaking his head, he looked shaken. His voice was nearly too low to hear, "no, no. I've never seen him with an injury like you've described."

Almost as though Thor's voice had disturbed Loki, he started to stir despite Lexie's best efforts. He once more tensed, his shoulders rising up, his hands pressing against the sides of his head. He sat up, leaning his shoulder against the back of the bed. 

Thor came around from behind Loki to the same side as Lexie. He gave a forced smile, "Loki, Loki, it's Thor." There was no reaction from Loki. Thor reached out a hand but Lexie quickly grabbed it and shook her head. "Right, right. No touching."

At those words Loki squinted his eyes open. He looked at Thor, there was no recognition in his eyes. He spoke painfully, "Do I know you?"

Thor's shoulders slumped but he still kept that forced smile on his face. "Yes, yes you do."

Loki's eyes widened. He made the effort to shake his head a few inches. "No touch, no touching."

"I know brother. No touching."

Loki frowned. He stared at Thor harder, his eyes searched his face. "Do I know you?"

"Yes, Loki, you know me." Thor took a breath.

Loki again shook his head, "No, do I know you?"

Thor studied Loki. "Yes. I'm Thor. We're brothers. You're my brother." He looked at the furrow that formed on Loki's brow. "I'm your bother."

"I know you." He blinked slowly. "I know you." He brought a hand forward to point a finger at Thor. "Do not touch me."

Lexie had been staring at Loki and now she called to Bruce, she couldn't keep a slight hint of excitement from her voice. "Bruce, Bruce can you come and look at something?"

Bruce had been watching from a distance, now he came over, Tony right behind. He had heard the tone too. Lexie didn't say anything, she just pointed to Loki's face. Bruce moved a confused Thor aside and moved closer while Tony just elbowed past. Putting his glasses on Bruce studied Loki's face, Loki looked back at him in concern.

Both Bruce and Tony stood straight at the same time, exchanging looks and nodding. Tony gave Lexie a fist bump, "Not bad."

"What? What do you see?" Thor asked while looking at Loki in concern.

Bruce pulled his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose before putting them back on. "He had a concussion. His pupils were different sizes. Now they're the same size." He looked to Thor. "Is it normal for an Asgardian to heal that fast?"

Thor folded his arms over his chest and looked down at his feet. He shrugged. "I don't, know. I don't know how long it would take to heal from this injury. It's probably just Loki's magic."

"Except he's not using his magic to heal himself." Lexie spoke up with a glance at Loki who was listening but while he was rubbing his forehead. "At least not intentionally. I think I made him do it without him realizing he was doing it."

Tony raised an eyebrow. Bruce did as well. Thor had a neutral expression on his face. Tony was the first to speak up, "And just how did you do that?" His tone was clear he wasn't sure if he was going to like her answer.

Lexie couldn't help but smile, she was pretty sure he wouldn't. "The massage. I did it when I washed his hair and noticed afterwards that some of his injuries had healed. He said he hadn't used his magic so I thought he must have used it without realizing that he did. I tried it now and it worked again."

Bruce looked to Thor, "Does that make sense to you?"

Thor didn't say anything at first but his face slightly flushed. Tony's eyes squinted. Thor only raised his eyes to look at Lexie. He swallowed then spoke quietly and even though they were all within arms reach it was obvious that he was only speaking to her. "There's a place on, the back of his neck. Where," Thor looked uncomfortable, Loki was going to kill him. Not just stab him but kill him. He glanced at his brother who was blinking at him owlishly. "Where his magic runs closest to the surface. You can put your hand there and if you're sensitive enough you can feel it. Sometimes even feel his emotions."

Lexie nodded, suddenly understanding so very much. "That's why you're always grabbing him by the back of the neck."

Thor nodded. "Sometimes I can influence him, nudge him in a direction."

Tony's voice was full of sarcasm, "we could have used some of that nudging back in New York."

"You think I didn't try?" Thor's voice was sharp. This was a sore point for him. "There was a moment when his mind was clear, and just as quickly it was gone." 

Bruce looked at Loki, his face had cleared slightly. The pained look had slightly faded. Bruce looked to Thor, there was something the god was leaving out. "So, that doesn't explain what Lexie did."

Thor glanced at Bruce then let his eye go to Loki who was staring at Thor with an expression that was getting sharper. "She wants what's best for Loki." He shrugged. "That means for him to be healthy. He's not fighting her."

"But he doesn't keep you from grabbing him by the neck." Bruce was still thinking and frowning thoughtfully. "Why would he even let you grab him if he knows what you're trying to do. I can't see him letting you influence him in the slightest."

Thor still had his arms crossed, now he rocked back on his heels. His jaws clenched. He watched Loki lean forward towards him, his eyes narrowed, not with pain but searching.

Tony burst out with a sharp bark of laughter. His face was a wide grin. "Oh my god. He doesn't know. Loki doesn't know about his magic G-spot, does he?" Tony clapped his hands together as he broke into giggles.

Thor looked confused and Lexie's face blushed. Loki had jerked back with a hiss of surprise, now he glared at Tony who only smirked at him. Bruce frowned. "What? How can he not, know? I mean, it's his body. How can he not, you know? Know? When you've got your hand on him, he should feel, I mean, uh." Now Bruce was starting to feel his face flush.

Tony's face was turning red too but it was because he was trying to breathe while still giggling. "Yes, Doctor Banner? Go on. Care to explain to the class about Asgardian sex and anatomy?" 

Thor turned on Tony. "It's not sexual and I don't find my brothers condition to be deserving of your humor."

Tony held up his hands, getting his laughter under control as he took in Loki's tight lipped disapproval. "Okay, okay." He wiped at the tears in the corner of his eyes. "Hey Loki, do you even understand what we're talking about?"

Everyone looked at Loki who seemed to understand he was the center of the conversation but not understand what they were saying. He just glared at Thor, obviously blaming him for making him the center of Tony's laughter which was still bubbling up.

Lexie didn't appreciate it. "Enough Tony."

" Alright." He raised his hands in surrender. "I just think its hilarious that the guy who's a control freak over his mind doesn't even know his own body." He shook his head. "I would think that would be one of the first things little magicians are taught in Asgardian magic school."

Thor looked uncomfortable again. "There is no school for, magic and there are no other Mage's on Asgard. Only Loki."

That got Tony's attention. "Wait. He's the only one with magic on Asgard?"

"He's the only male. At least with any real powers. All those with power are female." Thor moved nearer to Loki, he knelt down closer to eye level.

Lexie spoke up, "But you have magic."

Thor smiled almost sadly. "My parents are gods. And still I am not a Mage. I don't have Loki's training. I never had his potential or desire. Or his need."

There was silence between them, the only sound was Loki. He asked again, this time his tone thoughtful. "Do I know you?"

Thor sighed, "Yes, Loki. You know me. I'm your brother, Thor." 

Loki looked over Thor's face. He spoke as if tasting the word, "Thor."

Everyone had various degrees of surprise on their faces. But Thor was the happiest, his grin was huge. "Yes! Yes, I'm Thor. Your brother."

Loki studied him, his face seeming to study him intently. He closed his eyes for a moment before he pointed with a long, pale finger to Thor's head. "Mourning?"

The smile fell of Thor's face and he stood to his full height, Loki's eyes followed him. Thor's hands grasped the bed rail tightly, the fragile metal bent.

"Mourning?" Loki asked stronger.

"Yes." Thor's voice was quiet.

Loki tilted his head. He licked his lips. "Who?"

Thor swallowed. He looked into Loki's eyes, his jaws clenched and he pushed out from behind his teeth the one word. "Mother."

Loki didn't react for a moment. He simply looked away thoughtfully, then he looked back to Thor. He opened his mouth then closed it and frowned. He tried again with the same results. His hands grasped the sheets in fists. He squeezed his eyes shut then opened them and glared at Lexie. He pointed at her almost violently, growling out, "words. You."

Lexie raised an eyebrow. She felt the three men looking at her with various degrees of surprise but she kept her eyes on Loki. "And I'm just magically supposed to know what you want to say?"

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. "Yes."

She rolled her eyes at him. She looked at Thor who was still distressed but was also fascinated by what he was seeing. Bruce and Tony were as well, they had never seen the two communicate. She stared at Lok whose eyes were intensely staring into hers. Finally she asked, "I think he wants to know how it happened."

Loki looked at Thor, "Yes."

Thor stared at Loki. There was an assessing going on, as if Thor were judging Loki for some reason. "It was the dark Elves." Thor's voice was reluctant, as though he were revealing something shameful.

Lexie wondered if this meant something to Loki and she looked at him closely. He had no change of expression.

"They had come in through the caverns below the dungeon." Again Thor stared at Loki for a moment as though he too were waiting for a reaction. When there was none he continued. "They opened the cells as they moved up." Thor stopped. "Do you even understand what I'm saying, Loki?" There was no way to tell. Loki simply stared at him with a face that could be described as interested so Thor continued. "After the battle it was father who found her. She had killed two elves in her chambers."

Lexie glanced at Loki and quickly reached out to take his hand, hopefully to sooth him, maybe stall him but she was too late. Loki glared at Thor, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Not father. Not father."

"Then she wasn't your mother?" Thor's voice was angry. "She was!"

Loki was about to angerly speak but Lexie shot her hand over his mouth. She saw his eyes widen in disbelief. Lexie turned to Thor. "I'm so sorry about your mother. I can't even begin to imagine how devastated you must be. I'm sorry."

Thor's eyes went from Loki to Lexie. "Thank you Lady Allexandria for the kind words."

Lexie looked to Loki who was still glaring at her from above her hand. She left her hand there while she spoke. "I'm sorry about your mothers death. I know you loved her very much." The glare faded from his eyes. He reached up and took her hand from his mouth but kept it in his hand as he brought it to his lap.

He looked to Thor, shaking his head. "No elves. Not elves."

"What are you talking about?" Thor raised an eyebrow.

Loki raised his hand holding Lexie's to his chest, thumping the back of his hand against his chest. "Mother. Mother, garden." He stopped talking as it was once more obvious that he was searching for words. His eyes darted around as though they were floating in the room. He let go of Lexie's hand so he could press against the sides of his head, leaning slightly forward. Shaking his head he muttered. "Garden, garden. Bodies, twisted, falling, bodies."

Thor shook his head. "I don't know what you're trying to say, Loki. Mother wasn't in the gardens. She was in her chambers."

"No!" Loki yelled, his frustration and anger bubbled up. He stabbed a finger at himself. "Garden. Mother. Death." He slapped his chest. "Death, mother, touch, gardens." Loki looked to Lexie and pointed at her. "Words."

She shook her head, desperately trying to remember what he had said about the gardens. "Okay, okay. He tried explaining it to me, I'm not sure I understood most of it. The gardens. Um, there, were people in the gardens. But I don't know everything that was going on. I think he was having a dream or-"

"No dream! Odin. Odin watching. No dream." Loki opened and closed his fists. "Mother. Garden Bodies. Pleasure. Pain. Touching." Loki shook his head and ground out, "No touching."

Lexie turned away from Loki and spoke low. "Something was happening in the garden. A, party?But then he said, that he, killed, everyone. Everyone there."

Thor's eyes jumped to Loki's.

Loki had heard Lexie's words and was nodding. "Yes. Death. Mother. Garden." He pointed to himself. "Not elves."

Thor's voice was a low rumble from deep in his chest, "Loki, shut up."

Loki glared and kept going. "Not elves." He pointed to himself. "Bodies. Garden. Mother. Death."

"Shut up, Loki. Not another word." Thor's fists clenched. His massive arms bowed out. His chest expanded.

Up to this point Bruce had been watching with scientific thrill and Tony with just perverse joy that his family was not the most fucked up in the universe. But now both men felt the shift in the room and knew that something was going to go badly wrong in only a matter of seconds.

Loki shook his head, there was an almost gleeful glimmer in his eyes."Not elves." There was a cruelness in his voice. He seemed to know exactly what he was saying. He leaned forward and pointed to himself. "Me. Mother. Killed in garden. Me!"

Thor gave a grunt of anger, "Shut up." He reached forward and grabbed Loki by the throat and shook him. "I told you to shut up." He gave Loki another shake.

Tony shoved Bruce backwards, he didn't want Mister Green coming out right now. Next he pulled Lexie back because of course she had jumped in the middle, trying to pull Thor's giant paw from Loki's throat. Tony doubted he would have much more luck but at least he had a plan B. Which he decided to skip plan A and go right to. Pulling out the small taser pen he had invented for something just like this in mind, he jammed it up under Thor's arm and gave the god a little of Tony's Starks lightening. Thor's arm muscle contracted then lost all strength which gave Tony just enough time to pull Thor's hand from around Loki's neck. It was a little harder to shove the wall of muscle back but by this time Lexie had come back and Thor allowed himself to be moved by her push.

"What are you doing?" She grabbed Tony as well and shoved him over to Thor.

"Hey! What was that for? I saved Reindeer Games!"

"All of you have lost your minds. Sorry to lump you in there with them Bruce but I swear I don't know what's going on with all of you. It's like you need to try to kill him at least once a day." She turned to check on Loki who was coughing and trying to get his breath back.

Tony shrugged, "well, he does have a habit of seeming to bring that out in people."

Thor nodded but looked ashamed. "I'm sorry. I just, I didn't." He sighed. "He kept saying that he killed her."

"But he obviously didn't." Lexie looked from Loki who had recovered enough to actually shove her hands away from his throat and glare at Thor in silent fury. Lexie did a double take at Thor who wouldn't meet her eyes. "Thor? He didn't. You said your mother was killed in her chambers and Loki was talking about the gardens. Obviously he's talking about a nightmare. A dream he keeps having."

Loki wheezed out, "No. No."

Thor turned to stare at Loki. His eyes were angry. "Loki learned as a youth how to slip unseen from one realm to another using hidden portals. So ancient they had been forgotten." Loki's only movement was his hands grasping the sheets, he twisted them between his fingertips. "He never told anyone, but it was known he could slip past Heimdall's seeing. He refused to tell how he was doing it no matter what punishment Father gave him."

Loki hissed out, "not father."

Thor glared at him but ignored the interruption. "After New York, when he was brought back to Asgard, he was given one chance to remain there and serve his sentence. All he needed to do was reveal the locations of the hidden portals. He refused." Thor struggled to speak. Loki' eyes squinted but stayed on Thor. "Mother begged him. He laughed at her. He told her there was nothing on Asgard that was worth the knowledge of the locations." 

Loki nodded his head, almost in encouragement as Thor remained silent. It was still impossible to tell if he understood everything that was being said. 

"It was through one of these hidden portals that the dark Elves came. Right into the palace, with hardly any warning. Father left his personal guard outside her chambers. They were all slain. So you see. In his own way, Loki spoke the truth. He did kill our mother."

Loki nodded. Quietly he spoke. "mother. twisted bodies. death."


	15. Chapter 15

The silence was uncomfortable and it stretched on. No one seemed to know what to say or do, there were no words that could make it understandable. Was Loki correct? Had he actually killed Frigga? Or was Thor correct and was that any better? 

Loki had been leaning against the bed, his eyes on Thor. Now his expression shifted to one of pain and he hunched, shaking his head slightly. He started breathing deeper, his head touched the mattress and he groaned.

Lexie leaned over to look up at him and called out, "Bruce, he's bleeding again!"

Bruce rolled Loki over, once more blood was flowing from his nose. Bruce grabbed Thor and shoved him towards Loki, "Hold him down." He grabbed a vial and a needle, drawing out twice the human dosage and slammed it into the IV line. "This should drop him." 

Thor had Loki wrapped in a tight hug, Loki was like a writhing snake, nearly impossible to keep a grip on without causing damage to him. "Banner." Thor growled out. Obviously Loki didn't know to drop.

Bruce loaded the needle again and once more sent it into the IV. Loki was nearly horizontal, Thor was trying to use his weight to press Loki flat on the bed but was still struggling. Tony had gloves on and had grabbed rolls of gauze, just waiting for a chance to put them to use.

Bruce watched as there was still no effect on Loki. "Shit shit shit." He loaded the needle with the last of the liquid in the vial. He hesitated, this would kill a human. Loki had both hands scratching his scalp, he was literally trying to claw into his skull to get to the pain. Bruce plunged the needle once more.

Lexie had backed up, out of everyone's way. She knew they needed their space to help Loki but she felt like she should be right there in the middle with them. With an agonizing moan of pain Loki collapsed back against Thor and the bed and she shot forward. She grabbed at his hands and her attention was caught by the blood and skin under his nails. She looked at his hairline, there was blood running from it down his face.

Bruce felt sick, with the amount of heavy pain medication he had loaded into Loki the god was still conscious and weakly twisting in pain. Lexie held his hands tightly otherwise he probably would still be trying to tear at himself. There was no way Bruce would administer more meds, there had to be another way. Bruce turned to Tony who looked sickly pale beneath his normal tan. "You okay, Tone?"

"Compared to what I just witnessed? Hell yeah." Tony grabbed more gauze and shoved it at Bruce. "What was that? F.R.I.D.A.Y. was there another pulse or something?"

"Affirmative, Boss. Twenty-eight percent the strength as the previous one."

Bruce wiped at the blood while Thor propped an exhausted Loki between his shoulder and the rails. All the while Loki tried to move away from the touch of everyone but Lexie.

Bruce grabbed a bottle of saline and soaked some clean gauze and scrubbed at Loki's hands. The gauze turned red. Without warning Bruce threw it in the trash with his own yell of frustration. Everyone looked at him, various levels of concern on their faces as he took a deep breath in and held it before pushing it out. He met Tony's steady gaze and pointed at Loki. "He's dying, Tony. Or is damn close to it with the level of pain meds I just had to dump into his system and there's nothing I can do about it." He looked to Thor whose expression leaped between despair and frustrated anger. 

"It's magic, Bruce." Tony sounded like he had no idea how to combat magic. Which is why he absolutely hated it and refused to believe in it. 

"It may be magic that's the cause but he's having a physical reaction. He's bleeding. And that's not magic."

Tony looked to Loki but was asking the room. "Could it be Thanos? Could he have found Loki?"

Loki opened his eyes in the silence, he shook his head, his voice was a pain filled mutter, "No Thanos. No." 

Lexie had taken his hands in hers again once Bruce had let them go. Now she rubbed at the back of his hands, she knew what that name could do to him. "It's okay, Loki, it's okay."

He looked at her with a snarl, he was in agony. "Not Thanos." He pushed away from Thor trying to sit up, to get away from him. "Odin. Odin." He hissed out in fury and hate.

Lexie closed her eyes. There was the other name, the one that was worse than Thanos. That would set Loki off even worse. And of course, also here was the one person who was just below those two names.

"Father wouldn't do anything to you, Loki. He doesn't even know you're here." Thor allowed Loki to push away but refused to let him fully go or to move back.

And of course Loki wasn't going to allow that to pass by. "Not father!" He spat the words as he tried to twist away from Thor, "no touch!" He pulled a hand from Lexie to jab a finger at Thor. "No touching!"

Tony rolled his eyes, "yeah, they're brothers."

Thor was just as stubborn as his younger brother. "Father wouldn't do this to you, stop being-"

Loki was done with being touched and he was done with being told that he was wrong. With an outraged growl he reached back and up to grab Thor by the throat to try to choke the life out of him. He couldn't get good leverage from his angle but he wasn't going to let that stop him from trying. He squeezed as hard as he could which in his condition meant that Thor easily batted his hand away.

Thor looked annoyed and stepped back with a wave and huff of annoyance, dismissing Loki. Lexie reached for Loki as did Tony and Bruce. They pulled Loki on to the bed, trying to get him settled evenly with the IV line clear while Loki was sputtering in his rage. He slowly grew quieter, having worn himself out his breathing was soon all that could be heard from him. The trauma and the alien medication in combination with exhaustion soon had him nodding off.

Bruce checked his eyes, at Tony's questioning look he shook his head. "No concussion this time." 

Lexie looked around at the three men standing around, they looked in their own various stages of stunned exhaustion. Bruce was cleaning up the medical supplies, putting some things away and throwing the rest to be incinerated. Tony was sitting on a counter, munching on something from a bag while blankly staring off at nothing and Thor was just standing there with his arms crossed. She looked at Loki's hands in hers, they still twitched, he was dreaming again.

Lexie grabbed a pack of wipes and began cleaning the blood off Loki's face. She wiped carefully, going up into his scalp where the scratches started. She studied his face, purple bruises under his eyes from a lack of real sleep and rest were getting darker. Every time he seemed to gain a small measure of recovery he was sent further back. There wasn't much room for him at this point.

She washed her hands, turning and leaning against the sink counter she asked, "Now what?" 

They all looked between her and each other. It was Bruce who answered. "We keep looking for answers. I don't know what we have here on earth that can help him but I know we're going to look for it."

Tony looked to Thor who was staring at Loki who was still glassy eyed. When the big god didn't answer Tony did. " Don't worry, kid. We won't give up."

Taking a steadying breath Lexie nodded, "Okay then. At least an all nighter. I'll make something to eat. And lots of coffee." She added with a look to Tony who gave her a faint grin and two thumbs up. She looked down at Loki one more time before walking out.

Once upstairs she found Clint sitting comfortably on the couch, texting on his phone while in front of him was a nearly life size holographic display of the lab. She slowed down as she walked past it, looking at it then Clint. "Were you watching us?"

"Yep. Like watching a really bad episode of Reality TV." He kept texting.

Lexie noticed an empty carton of ice cream with a serving spoon in it sitting on the coffee table next to where his feet were resting. "You could have come and helped."

Now he looked up with a phony puzzled look on his face, "Why? Thor was holding him down. Tony was standing there waiting for everything to calm down. Bruce was stabbing him with what seemed like some pretty good drugs and you were holding his hands." He shrugged and went back to texting. "Didn't seem to need me at all." Lexie grabbed the empty carton and stomped to the kitchen. "Thank you!" Clint yelled after her.

Nearly two hours later Clint was sitting in a small room off the lab finishing off another piece of homemade pizza, tossing the crust into his empty spaghetti bowl. Stepping into the doorway he finished his soda then let out a belch.

Everyone, including Thor, looked at him in disgust, Tony called him on it. "Really, Barton? We all have to breathe that air, man."

He grinned, "That's a compliment to the chef. It was, as always, amazing."

Lexie wrinkled her nose, "I'd rather have a tip."

Clint nodded, pretending to look thoughtful. "Okay. Always fill your gas tank in the morning."

Lexie wasn't the only one to roll her eyes. She sat on one side of Loki's bed holding his hand while Thor sat on a stool on the other, arms folded. He sighed and leaned forward, his eyes on Loki while resting his head on his folded hands. Speaking quietly while Bruce and Tony were intently focused on their project, Lexie asked, "Penny for your thoughts."

Thor's lips moved in a slight smile, his blue eyes looked at her in interest. "A Midgardian saying?"

"It means tell me what you're thinking because you look deep in thought." She smiled, "Not that your thoughts are only worth a penny."

Thor's smile stretched a little larger. "I was thinking about when we were boys, very young boys. When we still only had each other. We went everywhere, all over the palace. We had so many maids whose duty it was to simply watch out for us, to try to keep us in sight. To keep us out of trees for fear of breaking our princely necks. Out of the stables for fear of getting kicked in our royal heads. Or somehow escaping the palace all together and ending up being held for a kings ransom." Thor looked to be thinking back fondly. 

Lexie let herself smile with pleasure at the thoughts even though when she glanced at Loki he was frowning. "I can't imagine having the two of you running wild as little kids."

Clint's voice came over to them, carefully neutral. "So was he always the mischief maker or was little Thor capable of finding his own trouble?"

Thor looked to Clint, acknowledging the archers attempt at being civil with his own even tone. "I certainly didn't need Loki to get into trouble. He did make a good partner though. He never tattled on me even when it was my fault we got in to trouble. Once I had him do all my lessons. Of course Mother caught us, not our tutors. Loki took the blame, said it was his idea because his lessons were boring." Thor smiled at the memory. "I got whipped and Loki had his books taken away as punishment. I think he cried every night, of course he was only four or five." Thor looked thoughtful, "I think that was also one of the first times he stabbed me. He was livid about his books." Thor grinned.

They all looked at Thor while exchanging glances of their own. Bruce asked, "You do know that's not normal, right?"

"What?"

"That entire story."

Thor shrugged. "Seems normal enough to me."

Tony was fitting parts together, screwing them carefully in place. He lightly cleared his throat. "What's your earliest memory of you two getting into trouble?"

"First clear memory where we both got punished?" Thor chuckled. "Loki was about four years old and I sent him into the kitchens crying to distract the staff. He was sobbing about something or other while I stole an entire tray of fruit pastries. We ended up eating them all in a closet. And he got so sick I had to run and get mother. We lost dessert for an entire summer. It was truly tragic for me."

Lexie was trying not to laugh, "And for Loki as well, I'm sure."

"Ah," Thor dismissed Loki, "he was only four. What did he know of desserts?" Thor was staring at Loki, suddenly his eyes teared up and spilled down his face. He wiped at them and lowered his head. His voice low. "And now, I think of where we are. How did we come to this place?" His voice was truly wondering. "Where I can't trust him and he hates me? What happened to those boys who were going to take on the worlds together?"

Lexie swiped at her own tears. Everyone else was quiet, pretending they hadn't heard the gut wrenchingly emotional words. "He doesn't hate you."

Thor huffed. "He does. He hates me, it's in his eyes."

"No, he doesn't. We talked about you." Thor raised his head and looked at Lexie, his eyes surprised. He wiped at them and looked slightly hopeful. "He never said he hated you, even when he could have." Lexie shrugged and gave a wobbly chuckle. "He did say you're an idiot but not that he hated you."

Thor gave his own weak chuckle with a smile and looked to Loki. He nodded, "Yes, compared to Loki I suppose I am the idiot. Ready to run off into trouble without a moments thought of what I'm doing." Thor's mouth twisted wryly. "I don't think he's ever realized that I thought he would always be by my side, to get me out of that trouble with his silver tongue. I counted on him being my reason. He would be my calming influence." Thor stood abruptly, taking a ragged breath. "I need to, I'll be back, Lady Allexandria. Watch over him for me till I return?"

"Of course." They all watched Thor walk from the room, the god had a slight hunch to his massive shoulders though he walked as though he could plow right through the walls if they dared to get in his way.

It was quiet in the lab while everyone continued what they were doing, thoughtful. Lexie kept her eyes on Loki, rubbing her thumbs on the back of his hands. They went from slack to grasping hers painfully tight. She watched his face as his eyes moved behind pale lids. She wondered if he ever slept, she didn't think she had ever seen him not dreaming. Though he was adamant that what he was experiencing weren't dreams.

Tony was moving back and forth between putting random parts together just to keep his hands busy while his brain worked on the problem of finding out what was going on in Loki's brain. He wasn't sure about the magic part but he was working on fitting it into his science boxes. He wasn't sure what knowing about little Loki would do to help him solve the puzzle but he would glance at him now and wonder if knowing more about Loki put more of his own skin in the game.

Bruce stared at the large display of Loki's brain. He stood with his arms folded, chewing on one arm of his glasses while he thought about magic and science and who was attacking Loki. Because Bruce knew this wasn't an organic disease or even just random magic gone haywire. Bruce trusted Loki for some strange reason and if the god was saying that Odin was behind this then Bruce was inclined to believe him, insane or not.

Leaning against a counter, arms folded and staring at Loki with malice, Clint thought about the stories that Thor had told. He could imagine Thor and a younger brother in the stories, he just couldn't match that younger brother with this man, god, whatever. Monster. He didn't care what Loki had been like as a child. He didn't care what had happened to him as an adult that had changed him. All he cared about was the fact that when he looked at him, he didn't like the emotions he felt. He didn't like the man he was letting Loki turn him into now any more than he liked the man Loki had turned him into years ago.

"I can't stay here." Clint was surprised those words came out of his mouth. He hadn't planned on saying them out loud. At least not right now. Everyone was looking at him, he turned to look at Tony. "I can't be here with him."

Tony gave the slightest nod of his head. His face was neutral yet understanding. Because he did understand. If he could leave he would. "Okay."

"I'll try to stick around till you find out when Strange can show up but, I, just." He shook his head. "I don't like who I am around him. All I want to do is drive an arrow right through an eye into his brain. Solve all of our problems."

Bruce spoke into the silence. "Yeah. Okay. Uh. Probably best if you weren't around him."

Clint gave him a tight smile that was scary in its lack of humor. "I'm available if you need me." he started to move towards the exit then stopped as he came near Lexie. He looked at her, his expression finally revealing how he was conflicted by his emotions.

Lexie got up and went to the archer, giving him a hug that he returned with a shuddering breath. Whispering he said, "I'm still here. Just not in here, yeah?"

"Yeah." She let him go with a smile and went back to Loki while Clint walked out. Lexie reached down and again took Loki's hands in hers.

Loki felt himself become aware. He opened his eyes and felt the weight of a tangle of bodies surrounding him. Startled he pushed at those on top of him and they moved away, not dead then. He crawled from the pile, naked. He was able to make his leather breaches appear but nothing else. He looked down at himself in confusion then dismissed it as unimportant. He was in the throne room in the palace of Asgard. Looking around he took in the naked and half clothed bodies sprawled in decadent abandon as far as he could see, spilled food and wine along with scattered goblets spoke to a wild feast that had ended in ways that he knew would never be allowed to happen in reality.

He walked in near silence, the faintest whispers of voices itching his neck as he looked around, uncertain what he was looking for. He came around a massive pillar only to find himself face to face with Odin. He instantly hated that he gave a startled yelp but this room was his fathers seat of power. Every punishment he had ever received had been given in this room. In this room he was weak and no matter his bravado they both knew it.

Gungnir came to a snap under his chin as though it were the sharpest sword though truth it was much more deadly. Odin's one eye impaled him with its open hatred, Loki was surprised. He was used to being the one giving that look, never receiving it, not this blatant. Hands out in surrender he was walked backwards, out into the open where suddenly the once reposed bodies were now all standing upright and clothed. Dressed in the finest clothing, heavy with gold or the lightest of silks, Loki stood among them still clad only in his leather pants.

Odin spoke through clenched teeth, "Well boy, what have you to say?"

Loki swallowed. His eyes moved among those he could see behind Odin, faces whispered from behind fans or out in the open. He recognized each and every one of them. He knew them all. But there were two he didn't see. Gungnir poked his throat. "What would you have me say? The words you seek?" Loki forced a smirk through nearly frozen lips. "I can't utter them. I won't." He felt fear run through him and hoped he hid it.

Odin didn't move. His eye stayed locked on to Loki. One word spat forth. "Kneel."

Loki's eyes widened. Would that word never cease to haunt him? "No." The word was whispered but he got it out.

"Kneel!" The word ran through him and Gungnir was pressed painfully down on a shoulder until his knees hit the stone floor. Blood seeped from a new cut where Gungnir had gouged the flesh.

His arms still outstretched, he felt the bodies crowd closer. "What now, Odin?" Loki sneered. It was all he had. There was no hope left in him. He wasn't going to survive this attack. He expected death. Where ever he was, he expected it. He felt himself hoping for it. He was just tired. He wanted this to be over. His eyes closed and he felt his head begin to bow. Then the sharp bite once more of Gungnir under his chin. And just as quickly his temper flared. "If your wish is to kill me then get it done. Father." The word was a curse. Uttered with the deepest contempt. "I will not-"

The words he would have spoke would never be uttered. Odin brought Gungnir from under Loki's chin and struck him across the temple. Loki shrieked.

Across New York Stephen Strange's eyes snapped open and he abruptly dropped from his levitation pose. Rising just as quickly to his feet he began hastily making a portal, calling for Wong.

In the lab Tony had moved past Bruce to grab Lexie from the floor where she had been thrown and drug her by an arm to where Bruce was hiding behind a steel cabinet. Lexie was trying to gather her wits. She had been holding Loki's hands and next she was aware that she was on the floor, ears ringing.

Loki was on the bed, convulsing. The orange bindings on his forearms were wavering as if they were being twisted and stretched apart. Orange sparks flew from them along with the occasional large green streak of what looked like small lightening strikes. Nearby glassware cracked, the overhead lights flickered. Small electronics sparked and smoked.

Tony yelled while trying to push Lexie into Bruce's arms to be checked over, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. get Thor and Barton!"

"Already on their way, Boss!"

An orange portal began appearing across the room, Strange and Wong stepped through, taking in the scene before them. Working wordlessly together Wong created an enclosed shield around Loki and Strange that instantly closed them off from the room though they could easily be seen and heard.

Tony jumped up, "What the hell is happening?" He helped Bruce get a still slightly dazed Lexie to her feet then seated in a chair.

Strange grunted, "not sure." He was trying to strengthen the bindings, reinforce them so they wouldn't fail. Wong held the shield tight as sparks bounced off the inside.

Thor came running into the room, followed quickly by Clint, both men speechless for the moment.

Glancing at Thor, Strange continued, "However I could have prepared slightly better if I had of known that 'adopted' meant non-Asgardian."

Everyone looked at Thor who was confusedly trying to take everything in along with not betraying his distress at Strange's revealing of Loki's deepest secret. He looked at them all, not sure what to say so he said nothing. He walked closer to the shield, Loki's convulsion's hadn't stopped. Blood streamed from his nose, ears and eyes. The bed sheets turned red.

Strange got Loki's bindings back in place. The orange lines settled back down, this time with dark blue lines enclosing them. The green sparks stopped. Loki's convulsions continued until Strange put his hands on him, closing his eyes in concentration. Slowly Loki relaxed until he was flat on the bed. 

At a nod from Strange, Wong released the shield. He gave a glare to everyone in the room, then with his own acknowledging nod to Strange he made a portal and stepped through it, disappearing. 

Thor moved to Loki's bedside. 

Tony spoke first, "Okay, first, once more, what the hell was that? And second, question for you god of thunder. Non-Asgardian?"

Strange shook his head, "I'd prefer we answer the non-Asgardian question first. Thor you had to have known how much danger you were putting everyone in by me putting magical bindings made for an Asgardian on a Jotun?"

"Jotun?" Bruce asked.

"Frost Giant." Strange answered in clipped words.

"I'm sorry." Clint threw out. "Frost Giant?" He looked at Loki. "What the hell is a Frost Giant?"

Tony broke in, "isn't that who you got sent to earth for trying to kill? And didn't Loki try to commit genocide on them? Destroy their entire planet? Why would he do that if he was one of them?"

Thor refused to look up and Tony quickly and angerly moved towards him but Bruce stepped in front of him. "Tony."

"Don't Tony me." He pointed at Thor. "You came to us. I let you bring him here. Here! In. My. Home." Tony started pacing. "And you knew that he wasn't fully contained. On top of that you pushed and pushed for Strange to give him even more access to his magic. Did you have some plan? Did you want this to happen?" Tony wildly waved an arm around. "Was this your plan?"

This got Thor's attention. He looked at Tony angerly. "No! Of course not. Strange's bindings were strangling Loki. I told him that." Thor watched Loki, he was still bleeding, no one made a move to help him and Thor couldn't blame them. He grabbed several packaged rolls of gauze on a bedside tray and ripped them open, wiping at the blood coming from Loki's eyes. His brother was still awake, he was looking around in a silent, unseeing, daze. 

Bruce had finished checking Lexie. She had recovered and nodded to his whispered question if she was okay. She stood and pushed Bruce towards Loki with a whisper of her own. "Help him."

Bruce picked up more supplies and began once more working on Loki. This time there was no reaction to his touching the god. Loki moved uncoordinatedly, like an infant. He seemed to have no control over his muscles. Bruce grabbed the bottle of saline solution and flushed Loki's eyes, the god didn't even react.

"Stephen." Bruce called tensely.

Strange pushed Thor out of the way and looked into Loki's eyes. One small contracted pupil, one hugely expanded. "Concussion."

"Another one?" Tony asked coming over to look himself.

"Another?" Strange looked again into Loki's eyes.

"His second today." Bruce went back to cleaning blood off Loki but it still flowed. "The bleeding isn't stopping this time."

"Talk to me, Bruce." Strange's clothes changed from his traditional Sorceror's clothes to a surgeons covering.

While Bruce went into what had happened previously Tony grabbed Thor by the arm and pulled him farther back into the lab. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Both Clint and Lexie came over, with very different expressions on their faces. Lexie looked concerned and Clint looked just as furious as Tony. He had no fear when he poked the god in the chest with a finger, "you knew what you were doing. You lied to us."

"I came prepared with Asgardian technology that would have kept Loki contained. Strange wanted to use Midgardian." Thor wasn't going to back down. "It's inferior but I knew I could still use my bindings. Then they were destroyed rescuing Loki. But it didn't matter, Loki wasn't using his magic and the Midgardian magic worked well enough. Until I realized it was choking him. That's why I asked for it to be eased. And that's the only reason." Thor's voice was steady and defiant. He looked them in the eye. He had nothing to hide. "Mage Strange's bindings are working to bind Loki."

Lexie turned away, she didn't care. She turned to walk over to where what she did care about was going on but Tony reached out and took her arm. "Hang on." When she looked back at him he continued. "Don't, just," Tony didn't know what to say. He saw the expression on Lexie's face and knew it was too late, she was too invested in Loki. Whatever happened to him was going to impact her life in ways Tony didn't want to think about. Good or bad. Loki was in her life. He let her go.

Strange and Bruce were looking at an overlay of Loki's brain that F.R.I.D.A.Y. was generating floating above his head. Lexie stood near the side of the bed and focused on what they were seeing. There were areas that were red, even a few black lines that looked like blood vessels. Overall the pattern was shades of red. Blood still trickled from his nose and eyes, his ears. The two men wiped at it but it still slowly came.

Loki shifted slowly in the bed, he lay back, his hands weakly moving, fingers grasping at the air. His eyes were moving but not seeing, filled with blood that spilled like tears to run down his face. He took short gasping breaths.

Lexie's hands wiped at her eyes then she asked, "what can I do?"

The two men exchanged glances then looked at her, Strange spoke, "Hold his hand. Nothing else you can do, not until we determine what's going on and how to stop it and reverse the damage."

The other three men walked over, Thor spoke up. "Can you create a barrier to keep the magicical attacks out?"

Strange nodded. "Yes, maybe. If I knew the structure of the magic. And it's form. And a hundred other elements. I don't know anything about this magic except its killing him." Lexie pulled in a quick and noisy breath but Strange didn't stop. "His brain is being destroyed. It's being ripped apart. Soon he'll be only functioning on his autonomic nervous system. Just the basics like breathing and his heart beating. Until those stop as well."

Lexie had taken one of Loki's hands in hers, his long fingers hadn't grasped her hand or given any sign that she held his. Taking gauze with her other hand she wiped at his nose and eyes. He didn't seem to notice. She started rubbing his scalp, scratching lightly in all the spots she knew he liked. She watched his face intently. There was no reaction.

Clint moved to leave, "sounds like this could take awhile. I'll be back." As he walked past he pushed the chair Lexie had been sitting in closer to her and waited until she sat. He gave her a nod then left. 

"Do I know you?"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 13 was accidentally left out. Please go back and read it, it should answer your questions.


	17. Chapter 17

Lexie pushed her apartment door open and left Thor to follow behind her as she went straight to her spare room. She left this door open behind her as well. Shoving decorative pillows off the king sized bed she yanked the bedspread back to the foot of the bed then pulled the blanket and sheet back. She stepped back just in time for Thor to set Loki well away from the edge of the bed before he rapidly moved away.

Once there was distance from Thor Loki relaxed against the bed, his face lost some of its tension, his breathing easier. Thor reached out and took Lexie's arm, tugging on it gently. "We need to go."

She looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? Leave him?"

Thor nodded, "His mind should be recovered by morning. Or sometime tomorrow."

"We can't just leave him all alone. I said I was going to take are of him."

Thor hadn't let go of her, "I no longer think that you should do that."

"Why not?"

Thor bit at his lip, "it's not, wise." He let go of her and rubbed his hands against his jeans then stepped back again as Loki moved on the bed.

They both watched Loki as he slowly began moving. His low back arching, shoulders and hips pressing into the mattress. Hands opening and closing, grabbing at the sheet his eyes opened as his face clenched as if in pain. A faint groan came from him as his muscles tightened and he held for a moment before painfully, slowly loweringhimself to the bed.

Thor took several more steps towards the doorway, he looked uncomfortable. 

There was a sudden movement from Loki, he rolled to his side facing them. His muscles painfully contracted. His eyes opened. He groaned deep and low through his jutting jaw. His body rolled even though his muscles remained clenched. He was nearly rolling off the bed when Lexie moved. Coming up behind him she quickly knelt on the bed, putting her hands against his back and kept him from falling off the bed. 

"No!" Thor had called out at the same time Lexie moved, taking a quick step forward but stopping because he knew it was too late. Lexie looked at him while Loki leaned against her and her arms had slid around his bare torso. Thor shook his head and said regretfully, "Ah, Lady Allexandria. I wish you hadn't done that."

She looked down at Loki, at her touch he had leaned back against her as his body relaxed and he had wrapped his hand around her arm. His fingers rubbed against her, almost caressing her skin. Now she looked at Thor, "What?"

"Touched him." Thor took a hesitant step closer and Lexie was surprised that she could actually feel Loki's muscle's tense as he did. A low sound came from him, faint. Another step closer from Thor and the sound grew only slightly louder and Lexie realized it was a growl. Without thought she rubbed at his shoulder with one hand and he stopped.

Thor's eyes watched this then met hers. He smiled but he didn't look happy. "If you need anything, have F.R.I.D.A.Y. call for me." He started to back away again, his eyes on Loki but Lexie stopped him.

"What? Wait. What am I supposed to do? You can't just leave, I have no idea what's going on with him, Thor."

"He'll be like this until the, elixir, burns through him. He may get agitated, if he does, just," Thor again looked uncomfortable, "Your touch will sooth him but, don't, try not to touch him for too long." Thor's face was actually turning red.

Now Lexie glared at him, "Jesus Thor. Just tell me what the hell is going on with him."

He shook his head. "I can't. I'm sorry. But I just can't." He walked to the doorway. "By morning his mind should be returned to him, after that I'm sure he'll just want to be left alone to sleep and recover." Thor turned and walked from the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Lexie stared after him with her mouth open then looked down at Loki. Slowly she lowered him onto the mattress, grabbing a pillow to put under his head. Standing she looked down at him. He was sprawled on the bed and she pulled the sheet up to his waist. "What kind of Asgardian freaky freak show have I gotten myself in the middle of?" After a minute of staring at him she pulled the sheet to his chin. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and held it. "You can do this. Whatever this is." Her voice had a slightly hysterical laugh in it. "Because, yeah. A god in the bed of my spare guest room, doing some kind of," she waved her hands around. "Whatever." She muttered and went to get some things to make herself comfortable.

Thor stepped into the hall and he saw Stark standing there, arms folded. He recognized the mans expression and wondered if he was going to have to allow the Midgardian to hit him. "Stark, I would much rather not have this conversation here in the hallway with my brother this close."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Close? This is considered close?"

Thor walked past Tony. "This whole floor is too close. It's now off limits."

Tony's expression was one of disbelief, "Really? I'm now restricted from parts of my own house?"

"Yes." Thor continued walking.

Tony decided to follow Thor since he was going to continue the conversation. Once they were in the common room he picked up again. "So a couple questions. What the hell is going on? Why can't we be near Loki? And why can Lexie? And what the hell is going on?"

Thor stared at Tony. "You're repeating yourself." He noticed Tony's eyes narrow and he sighed and sat on the couch. "I can't answer any of those questions."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't and won't." Thor raised a hand at Tony's look of frustration and anger. "Stark, I don't know the answer to those questions. And what little I do know will only raise more questions."

"The little you know is a good place to start." Tony nodded. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. ask Bruce to join us."

A few moments later Bruce was standing near Tony, both men had their arms crossed as they looked down at Thor as though he were a disappointing child or the boy coming to take their sister to the prom.. Thor glanced at them and couldn't help but give a tired quirk of his lips. "Why don't you two sit? This is complicated in its simplicity."

The two men exchanged glances but sat down on the couch across from Thor. Tony nodded while waving his hands, "okay, start from the beginning. What is that stuff doing to him?"

Thor leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He looked thoughtful, trying to find a place to start. Finally he took a deep breath. "I've mentioned that Loki has always had a fascination with learning. It's always been there, a hunger, a need to know. I've never had that. For me it was always about the physical. Our, father, expected Loki to train the same amount of time as I did even though it was obvious that I would rather spend all my time in the practice lists while Loki would rather spend all of his out of it. He was always walking around with a book or spending time with mother learning new spells."

Tony stared hard at Thor, "And you say no one ever figured this whole adoption thing out?"

Thor glared at Tony for a moment before continuing. "Loki failed a test with our sword master and brushed it off. He said he would use his mind to avoid a battle or his magic to win it. This didn't, sit well with Father. He felt Loki failed because he was too focused on his magic rather than his practicing but to everyone it was obvious that he would have failed no matter how much he practiced. The sword was nearly his weight."

Bruce spoke up, "Totally not fair."

"No, except when I was his age I easily wielded the sword and passed the test. Father said he played no favorites, Loki was expected to do the same." Thor grasped his hands tightly in front of him and he stared at them. "So Loki had to spend his entire days practicing. And he did. His hands grew blistered and bloody. Father refused to allow mother to heal them. Father would watch Loki practice and I think he would have yielded if Loki had of asked yet he never said a word."

Tony shook his head, "Stubborn little shit." He faintly grinned and looked to Bruce. "I think I'm liking Little Loki."

Thor's lips lifted. "Father forbid Mother to continue her lessons until Loki passed his test. But Loki just continued on his own in secret. He would train during the day and spend the whole of the night with his own studies. After several weeks it became obvious something was wrong but everyone just thought it was the stress of the lessons and the upcoming test. And when the time came Father had invited some of the nobles to observe."

"What a dick." Bruce muttered. "No pressure there."

"At least tell me he passed."

Thor looked at Tony then slowly shook his head. "No, he failed. As he did the next two times."

Bruce closed his eyes and rubbed between his eyes. Tony clenched his hands together. He hated stories of fathers being disappointed in sons.

Thor continued. "By the time he passed even Father admitted that he had pushed Loki too far. He nearly killed the young man he was sparing against. Only the sword master disarming him and tossing him out of the lists kept Loki from killing the lad with a dull sword. Everyone thought that the matter over since Loki had passed and began his lessons again. He should have been fine. But he didn't return to himself. He would be found wandering the palace or even the countryside talking to himself, performing spells that Mother said she had never taught him and never would have. Then one night I was coming in late and when passing his chambers I heard," Thor paused. "Noises."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "What kind of noises?"

"Voices. Arguing. Loudly. Things being thrown. I knocked but received no answer and the voices continued. I opened the door and entered." Thor looked between the two men. "Loki was the only one in his chambers. He ignored me and continued talking to himself. He was, agitated. Magic was sparking off him. Spells leaking. I tried to talk to him, he ignored me until I touched him. Then he went wild and attacked me. We fought and I had to retreat or hurt him. I got our mother. She called for a healer then for a fellow magician. They all tried to help him but there was nothing they could do" Thor looked between them. "He was mad. Had driven himself mad. I don't remember for how long he was like this but one night I knew something was happening so I spied on the door. Eventually all the male guards in the halls for that wing were dismissed. Valkyries replaced them. And that bottle, the one that I had? That was given to our Mother. She took it into Loki's chambers and the next day Loki was sleeping and by the afternoon I was allowed to see him. His mind totally restored. He had no memories of most of the weeks past and none from that night."

Tony held up his hand, "so what is it?"

Thor was still then said, "It's called Panniers Elixer. And I don't know what its made of. It's rare. And very few Asgardians have ever heard of it. It's used by," Thor swallowed, "some of those who practice magic. And they never speak of it outside their circle of users."

Tony smirked slightly, "So I wasn't far off. It is a drug."

"A drug?" Thor looked at Tony with something close to contempt. "Not the way you imply. The last time it was used by Loki was the story I told you and that was well over a thousand years ago. If he had his way he would have never used it again in his lifetime."

"So not only did you overdose him but you probably gave him expired shit?" Tony rolled his eyes and pointed at Thor. "That liability is on you, Point Break."

"Stark, I can not say how serious this matter is. Loki can't know he was given it. You can't even hint at it." Tony was about to open his mouth but Thor raised his voice and pointed at him, "Stark. If you think Loki throwing you out a window was deadly, then you don't want to see what I will do to you if you say a word." He glanced at Banner then back to Tony, "And if he were to find out, his anger would be deadly to anyone around him. I mean it. Don't mention it to Loki, don't mention it to anyone from Asgard, don't even mention it to me ever again."

He stood as did Tony and Bruce. Bruce held a hand up, "Thor, how safe is Lexie with him?"

"Lady Allexandria?" Thor huffed sadly. "She's the safest out of all of us. Loki will never allow himself to bring harm to her." 

"Really?" Tony didn't look too sure. "And does he know that?"

Thor shook his head, "Not yet."

In her apartment Lexie had gathered what she thought she would need for babysitting a god. The spare bedroom was just that, a spare bedroom for people who never came to spend the night in her apartment. If anyone came to the complex they weren't coming to stay with her so they took a spare room somewhere else. So this room was as perfectly kept as it had been when she decorated it. Which meant it had nothing she would find useful.

King sized bed. Dresser. Book shelf with some classics that had never been read because they weren't her real books. A nice sized desk with a matching chair. A small round table near the wall sized window with two comfortable chairs on either side. Closet and a nice sized bathroom. It looked a great deal like her room at Stark Towers did except much more expensive with the dark wood furniture and ruby jewel toned fabrics. The few decorative pieces kept it from being too stark but there were no real personal touches in this room since she never came in here.

Now she had pulled one of the large club chairs right next to the bed, set a stack of books on the night stand and had tossed a couple waters on the bed. Sitting in the chair she put her feet on the edge of the bed, knees up and watched Loki.

Nothing had changed. He still moved the same, groans still escaped through a tight jaw. Watching him she thought that his body was moving as if it were experiencing slow orgasms that were very painful rather than pleasurable. There were only seconds between the muscles constricting and it continued for hours. Sweat poured off him. If he had of been in a physical shape that had more fat on his body his muscles would have had some cushion. Instead the muscles spasmed and knots began forming, charlie horses that Lexie couldn't ignore.

Kicking her shoes off she crawled onto the bed and let her hands find the knots in the dim light from a bedside lamp. When she found one she worked at it, massaging until it finally melted away then moving on to the next one. And his body continued it's tortured movements even as it locked into painful positions until Lexie could coax the muscles to relax.

Later there came a time when he would relax for longer and hold her hands tightly in his. Then as his body began twisting he would push her hands away, sometimes even seeking to push her body away. Those were the times when he would arch in the most severe pain that cracked and popped joints.

Finally Lexie had to take a break herself. She had stopped occasionally to gulp down water or run to the bathroom but now her hands were cramping and she hand to stop. She sat next to Loki, a pillow on her lap and his head on the pillow. She couldn't do much more than brush his hair back and wipe the flowing sweat from his face with a cold cloth. She was so tired, she couldn't imagine how he felt.

Tony and Bruce had gone back down to the lab to continue to study what was happening to Loki's brain. F.R.I.D.A.Y. scanned Loki's brain in real time and they were able to see changes even though there were no cameras in the bedroom. Tony was regretting that he hadn't insisted or just done it anyway. Of course he would have had to now reveal bedroom cameras to Bruce so it was probably for the best. Some lines shouldn't be crossed. Not unless you knew you weren't going to get caught.

Bruce was entering equations as fast as he could while talking to F.R.I.D.A.Y. and Tony was sitting on a lab countertop. He was eating cold pizza while watching lines of white slowly take over lines of red and black, veins being rebuilt, restoring blood flow.

"Tony, this is amazing. It's fixing the neural pathways, everything. The damage is being reversed. This could have the potential to cure," Bruce looked wide-eyed, "all brain injuries. All diseases. Everything."

Tony nodded, he tossed his crust in a trash can then raised his arms in victory. "Woo hoo. Yay us.Too bad it's a top secret, alien, recipe that all got poured down the throat of a crazy god."

Bruce slid the bottle from his pocket and held it up with a grin. "Think there's enough left in here to synthesize more?"

Tony hopped off the counter and walked over to take the bottle reverentially from Bruce's hands. With a grin of his own he yanked Bruce close and gave him a huge kiss on the cheek, "I absolutely love that big, devious brain of yours."

Lexie sat cross legged on the bed, only feet from Loki, close enough to lean out and touch if needed. She wasn't sure who seemed to need it more, she or Loki but when he was groaning she felt compelled to put her hands on him to try to offer any kind of comfort she could. Often he would lean into her hands.

She wiped at his face during a moment when he relaxed against the bed, it was what she had come to think of as the bottom of the wave or roller coaster ride. Because it was the only moment he rested before rising back up only to come down again. It happened over and over. 

"Thirsty."

Lexie's eyes jerked to Loki's face and met his eyes. They were clenched tightly shut but the words had come from him because she knew she hadn't said them. Grabbing a bottle of water she cracked it open and scrambled to give him a drink but he had already started to arch his back while his hips flexed downward. Then they reversed, hands grasping at the sheets and pulling at them.

When he relaxed again she was ready, she had been intently watching him. "Loki, here, drink." She slipped her arm under his shoulders and neck, raising him slightly. His eyes opened, green stared back at her. Confused, dazed but nothing like she had seen before. He swallowed the water when she put the bottle to his lips. Several desperate, greedy gulps that caused him to choke and sputter. Coughing water Lexie rolled his torso to one side as best she could and then his body took over again.

Capping the bottle Lexie felt the burst of adrenaline that her excitement gave her. Thor was right. His mind was returning to him. She slid her arm out from under him, setting him back against the bed. Now when his eyes opened he seemed to try to focus them. Still, the spasms never let up, they wracked his body.

Loki was aware that he was aware. He felt that this hadn't been the case in a long time, as though he had overslept and was having trouble waking. He also was becoming aware that his thoughts were heavy, pressing against him, trying to burst, all wanting to be seen and known at once. He struggled to find the end of the string, the thoughts that were now. The thoughts that would allow him a place to start. What had happened? Where was he? He needed to see why everything was out of order and untidy.

Lexie wondered if she should call Thor, he would want to know that Loki was getting better. Then she decided to wait. Wait until Loki was himself and was done with whatever he was going through.

Loki stood in his mind. Dressed in a casual green tunic and pants with bare feet, he felt exposed as he looked at the books that littered the floor. A massive library, normally light came from sconces on the walls but now everything was in dimness or full darkness. He turned in a small circle. Some shelves were full of books, untouched. Many were missing several books, blank spaces gaping dark hole. Other shelves were swept clean. Pages ripped from books lay scattered about. Looking up he was able to see some of the shelves had not been just emptied of their books but destroyed. Burned, splintered, they would never hold anything again. Not without being utterly rebuilt.

He walked the floor, picking up certain memories and pieces of knowledge. Smoothing pages. Setting tables upright and placing the pages on them. He closed his eyes, how could he ever put this back to rights? He looked upward, the shelves went so high they disappeared into the darkness. He looked around, the bookcases went as far as he could see, rows and rows. Books scattered in every one.

He felt he wasn't alone and he turned. There stood Odin. Loki looked at the man who had been the only father he had ever known. Ever loved. He tried to recognize that long ago man inside this one. He saw that this Odin had grown older. His hair grayer. A golden strand of hair braided into it. Skin with more wrinkles. A face that was thinner. But that eye. That hadn't changed. It looked at him with such scorn and hate.

Looking at Odin standing in the middle of his deepest mind caused a tingle of fear on the back of his neck. He moved carefully, walking in a suddenly clear floorspace. "What do you seek, old man?" Loki struggled to remember what he knew. Did he know something important? Why would Odin be here? Did he do this destruction? Or did Loki do it himself? That was certainly a possibility. Though he couldn't remember, he felt this damage was beyond anything he had ever done before.

Odin stood in golden robes. His face held contempt for Loki as he looked around. "It appears you have very little left."

"Why are you here? What do you seek?" Loki spoke through gritted teeth.

"You could be content here. Repairing the damage done." Odin waved his hand at the floor while he took several steps forward. Loki took the same amount to the side. Not a retreat.

"When have you known me to ever seek something as mundane as contentment?" Loki snarled contemptuously. "If you have nothing worth saying then get out. You trespass."

Odin gave a condescending smile. "Do I? Trespass?" He moved and again Loki mirrored him. Odin gestured at the damage around them as proof of his words, "I have been here before. Many times."

Loki hissed. He wanted to call Odin a liar but couldn't. 

Now Odin smiled dangerously. "Who do you think helped chose the memories? Rewrote them? For your," Odin looked disgusted, "little lovers trysts?" 

Loki tried not to let the shock and hurt cross his face. After all this time. After all the words. This, NotFather , still could pierce him to the bone so easily. Loki shook his head. Better to not speak than let his emotions betray him. Again.

"What? Loki Silvertongue with no words? I've waited for this day. All I had to do was destroy your mind."

Loki shook his head. "No. My mind is mine. It is intact."

Again that smile. "Is it? Are you sure?" Odin motioned to the shambles surrounding them. "You've always enjoyed creating chaos but have preferred your life orderly." He kicked at a book, it's spine ripped.

"My mind is whole." Loki spoke through gritted teeth. Hands fisted.

Odin pierced Loki with his stare, "You have always been a liar. But I thought you wold at th very least be honest within yourself." He looked at Loki with contempt and held his arms out at the destruction surrounding them. Taking it all in. "No. It's not. You have been, unmade."

Loki's eyes involuntarily looked around and he felt a deep despair and hopelessness. He could never move forward with this behind him. He thought of Odin's words and something stirred. He looked down and looked at the pages. An unseen breeze blew one to his feet and he picked it up and read it. Looking up he lets anger slide onto his face that turns into fury. It's all he has left. "Unmade?" He steps forward. "Unmade?" He threw the paper to the floor. "Never. I am not."

Odin's words were a whisper. Like a snake they coiled around Loki. "Who are you? Loki? Loki of where? Son of whom?" The smile was cruel. "Loki of nowhere. Loki son of no one."

Loki stood straight. His face fought to remain hard. To not show how wildly his emotions were raging inside him. He was desperate to conceal his despair. Finally he was able to say, "Loki, son of Frigga."

Odin growled gutterally and surged forward, forcing Loki back against a bookcase with no where to go. "You do not get to claim her. You do not get to claim my wife as your mother. She is not your mother. She never was."

Loki spit out, "She was."

"You denied her!" Odin's voice shook the walls. His hand came up to grab Loki by the throat, squeezing. Loki's hands grabbed at Odin's with no result. "She died because of you. A son who murdered his mother!" Odin leaned into Loki's face, his eye staring out. "Did you not do it enough in the visions? Did you not stab and slash her in her own gardens? How about you see the real thing, boy?" Odin pulled his hand back, pulling Loki with it and threw him.

Loki felt himself go weightless for those few seconds he was in the air then painfully slam into a hard floor. He felt himself slide, unable to gain his feet.

Lexie watched with concern, Loki had changed in just a minute. Where before she could tell that his face reflected what his body was doing, now she saw something different. She had grown able to read him, she knew he was thinking something. Once again his eyes were moving below his eyelids. His hands moved from fisting the sheets to coming inches off the bed, palms out. Holding something at bay, trying to keep something from getting closer to him.

His eyes opened, he looked like he was watching a nightmare come to life right in front of him. 

"Loki, Loki, look at me." Lexie moved over him, his eyes were focused but not on her. She took his face between her hands and used her thumbs to caress his sharp cheekbones. His eyes jerked to her.

"They're coming. For her. They're coming." His voice was low, painful. He struggled against his body.

"Who? Who's coming?"

"Elves. Dark Elves, for mother." Loki groaned and arched. His movements had hours ago stopped seeming sensual and just become painful to watch. Now they were agonizing. He closed his eyes.

In his minds eye he watched as the Dark Elves came through the dungeons. Moving quickly up, killing as they went. Marching swiftly. Panic as the threat was discovered. Alarms sounded. Odin leaving his personal guard outside Frigga's chambers. Dark Elves arriving. Killing the guards. Breaking through the door. The first Dark Elf being run through as it entered the chamber by Frigga from an ambush where she stood to the side of the door. The second killed as she was murdered. She stabbed him through the neck with her dagger as he pulled her closer, her body impaled on his blade. The other Elves watched her die from the doorway then moved on. Then later Odin stepped around the bodies of his guard and stopped in the doorway. Loki watched when slowly he stepped into the chamber all the while his eyes locked down at Frigga. He stopped at her side. Then his eyes slowly moved up and he stared at Loki.

"See what you did, boy?"

Loki shook his head. He stood, unable to move. There was a roaring in his ears. A pounding in his chest. "I didn't, I didn't do this." A hand motioned to the carnage.

"You had the means to save her and you laughed in her face while you refused!" 

Loki shook his head but it was weaker than before as he stared down at Frigga. "I didn't know this was going to happen!" He motioned to her fallen body, golden dress with green trim stained with her blood.

"You knew you were leaving danger behind. But you are a selfish and sneaky boy and you always have been. Only thinking of yourself. Your hope was to return and simply pick up where you left off. Slipping between realms with your lies and mischief with no one the wiser. Look what your deceit cost. Look!" Odin grabbed Loki by the back of the neck and forced him to kneel beside Frigga's body then he leaned down as well. With a voice coarse and low he asked, "What do you think a man should do to the one responsible for the death of his beloved one?" He shook Loki. "Is there any punishment you wouldn't do? Any punishment too cruel? Too wicked?" Odin whispered. "Any torment you wouldn't put that man through, Loki Son-of-No-One?"

Loki swallowed as he stared at Frigga. Then he slowly shook his head. "No." No, there was nothing he wouldn't do to that man.

Loki blinked. 

"Loki, look at me. Focus on me." Lexie watched his eyes move to her, she was leaning over him, holding his head between her hands. He blinked so slow. The room was dim, his pupils were large. He shifted on the bed and his eyes slid away. 

In his minds eye he watched as the Dark Elves came through the dungeons.

Lexie kept repeating herself. "Loki, look at me." She wiped at his face, though now she thought that along with sweat there were also tears coming from his eyes. Despite her words he seemed to be fighting her when his body relaxed because he no longer would open his eyes. He turned his head from her and kept his eyes closed. Sometimes he even shook his head and pushed at her hands.

Lexie growled in frustration when he did it again. "What are you doing?" She waited until he arched his back and shoved a pillow under him. They had pretty much moved all over the bed, she followed Loki around as he had rolled and twisted from one side of the bed to the other. More than several times she had to get on the edge of the bed to prevent him from rolling off. She felt him leaving her and that just wasn't going to happen. "You are going to stop pushing me away. And you are going to listen to me. And that means you're going to stay put, mister." It took her awhile and she was as sweaty as Loki but she finally had him propped against the headboard, up on pillows and surrounded by them. Breathing heavy she muttered, "you don't get to give up after all this work, damn it."

Then with him nearly sitting up right she scooted herself and pushed at him until she was seated behind him. One leg on each side of his hips, he sat between her legs with his back resting against her chest. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes for a moment. "Okay, this is going to be awkward. And weird. But, at least I'm in back, right?" She rolled her eyes, "not sure that came out right." Loki arched his back, pressing his hips back and his head back towards the side of her head. "I did not think this all the way through." She whispered.

Loki watched as Frigga was stabbed.

"Loki." She spoke into his ear since it was right next to her mouth. "What are you seeing? There are no Dark Elves. You're here with me. With Lexie."

Loki turned his head towards the voice. It was right there.

Odin's voice echoed through the chamber, "Watch boy!"

Loki's head turned back to watch Frigga struggle with the Dark Elf but he knew what was coming next. He had already watched hundreds? thousands? of times.

Lexie moved her head back so she could try to see Loki's face. But she had seen and felt him flinch before turning back to face forwards. She spoke again. "Loki. I know you can hear me. Please. Just listen. No matter what you see, it isn't real. Open your eyes. Open your eyes and look around."

Loki turned his head again. The voice was telling him something. He looked at Frigga's body then tilted his head towards the voice. He opened his eyes and he was in a strange room. He felt a body behind him, he could never be so confused as to not recognize it as female. Familiar and comforting, he wanted nothing more than to turn around and crawl into her arms. Crawl into her. His body arched, twisted painfully and he grunted at muscles that were torn. "Where is this?"

"It's complicated but you're safe. Loki, I don't know what you're seeing but it's not real. Please stay here. There are no Elves. Just us. You and Me." She reached up and pulled his hair back from his face, it was wet with sweat.

Loki pulled his head forward and down. "I can see her. Odin shows me. She died because of me." His voice was barely heard but he got the words out. "I killed her. I did it. I see her. They kill her. She died in my colors."

His eyes closed and he felt the hard floor beneath his knees. Even with his eyes closed he now saw the Elf pull Frigga's body forward. This time she turned her head and stared into him.

Lexie felt Loki pull in a startled gasp then choke and cough on it. His head shook and his feet pushed against the bed, whatever he was seeing he was trying to scrambled away from. "No!" Out of all the screams and cries that she had heard from him, this one was the worst. It was terrified. It was broken. It came from a place of primal fear so terrible that even a god felt it.

Without thinking she wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her feet together. Her arms went tightly around his chest and she pulled him against her while turning her head and putting it against his.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.! Get Thor!"

Loki stared at Frigga but he couldn't move back, he couldn't get away from her. He was held in place. She reached out with a gentle hand and touched his face.

"My boy." Her voice was exactly as he remembered it. 

He tried pulling away from her hand but he couldn't. "No." It came out on an exhalation of breath. A wish. He trembled. He shuddered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She looked at him, then gentle eyes went hard. "What did all of your learning go for? All that time wasted if not for knowing what could happen. You should have known what your selfish actions would have wrought. If you had only thought of someone other than yourself, Loki. You never thought of the harm all your knowledge would do to others. Your desire for more than your share."

Loki was looking at Frigga with disbelief, his mouth open, eyes wide. "But, but you wanted me to learn. You told me to. To seek it out, to find it everywhere."

"You would blame my death on me? You! You refused to share your knowledge!" Her voice was shrill. "You hoarded it when you knew that it was needed to keep Asgard safe. And you refused to give it to me!" Suddenly Frigga's voice and Odin's mixed and Loki couldn't tell the two apart.

Thor burst through the doorway, pulling himself to a stop using the frame. Behind him Tony slammed into his back which didn't move him. Wiggling under Thor's arm Tony got his head between the doorframe and Thor's ribs.

"Whatever this looks like, it's not."

Thor's mouth hung open and his eyes were large. They blinked rapidly as he took in his brother and Lexie in the king sized bed. He said nothing because he wasn't capable.

Tony did not have this problem despite not being able to get more than his head past Thor. "Well that's good to know. Except I don't know what. the. fuck. this looks like."

Bruce's head suddenly appeared above Thor's shoulder. He had pulled a chair over and was standing on it. His eyebrows rose. "Oh. Hey Lexie. You called Thor?" 

Tony tried to turn his head to look at Bruce but couldn't see beyond Thor's massive arms and shoulders so he went back to glaring at Lexie while trying to shove past Thor. "What is this?"

Lexie ignored Tony to look at Thor. "I know you don't believe us, but you have to go to Asgard. You have to tell Odin to get out of Loki's mind."

Thor grimaced and set his face in a frown. He reached down and shoved Tony's head back. "My father has nothing to do with this. It's the elixir." He waved to Loki's body still flexing, arching, hips slowly thrusting and hands fisting.

"No. Not this." Lexie motioned with a hand that still was grabbing onto her other hand while around Loki. "I'm talking about what Odin is still doing inside of his head. He's still torturing him with visions." Thor shook his head. "Yes! Thor!"

He glared at her. "Loki is mad and you take this too far! You accuse my father of an impossible crime. I asked you to watch him," he shook his head. "I was wrong to ask you to do this."

He turned to leave. "Thor!" Lexie was crying. She knew this was it. If Thor walked away, Loki's last chance went with him. "He said your mother died wearing his colors!"

Thor stopped.

Tony looked from Lexie to the back of Thor. Bruce still stood on the chair, now he reached out and touched Thor's shoulder. Quietly he asked, "Did she?" There was no reaction. "Thor, did your mother die wearing Loki's colors?"

Thor nodded.

Tony came around to the front of Thor and looked the big god in his stunned face. "Loki couldn't have known that. He couldn't have known that unless he was shown that. By someone who knew it. Who was there. Someone powerful enough to put it into Loki's head."

Even inside they could hear the sound of thunder, feel its rumbling. The air felt tingly, smelled of ozone. Thor turned to look back at Lexie. His eyes were on Loki but he said, "I beg your forgiveness, Lady Allexandria. I-"

"Thor, you've got it as long as you go. Now." His eyes met hers. "Just hurry. I think Odin is ready to end this."

Thor turned and left the apartment. Tony came to the doorway and Bruce looked from his perch on the chair. They both had two different expressions of curiosity on their faces.

"Look, I'll take questions later. Right now, you guys need to leave."

Bruce hopped down from the chair. "Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea." He was obviously uncomfortable. "Come on, Tony."

Tony on the other hand was uncomfortable and angry. "What the hell?" He shook his head. Bruce grabbed him by the shoulder which he shrugged off. Ponting at Lexie he said, "This is, god kid, this is so much worse than sneaking boys in your room." He turned and walked out.

Lexie gave a slightly hysterical laugh. "I am so not a kid, Tony."

Thor landed in Asgard and met Heimdall's eyes. He didn't know what orders his father had given the gatekeeper. "Heimdall."

"Your highness." Heimdall's eyes turned back to stare out at the universe. "Careful today."

Thor nodded. Using Mjolnor he was inside the palace in moments. He arrived outside the throne room only to have the two guards drop their spears across the great doors, blocking his entrance.

"The Allfather said no one is to enter."

Thor forced himself to smile as his normal self. "I doubt my father meant me." He expected the crossed spears to be moved but they remained and he frowned at the two men.

"The Allfather said no one."

Thor nodded and gave a careless shrug. "Very well. Send word when he is available." He turned and walked casually down the hall. There were guards down the length of the hall and in front of every entrance to the throne room, including the servants entrances. Thankfully there were no guards in front of the entrance that he and Loki had discovered as boys. Well, that Loki had discovered and shared with him because he was still too young to be totally comfortable with going alone into dark tunnels.

Slipping through the small passageway Thor came out in a storage room. He slipped from the room and moved silently towards the far throne where he could see his father sitting. Gungnir rested on the arms of the throne. Thor walked around, careful. He saw Odin's face, his eye closed, moving under his eyelid. His expression changing. From anger and hatred to a cruel sort of pleasure that Thor had never seen on his fathers face.

Odin watched the look of near confusion on Loki's face. The boy was staring down at Frigga's bloody body. The blood was on the floor, pooled around her. Loki was knelt in it. He looked at his hands. They were covered in it. Bright red. Fresh and sticky. The boy wiped it on his pants and Odin made sure it didn't come off.

Loki looked up. His eyes were puzzled. He held his hands out, looking back down at them. "It won't come off, Father."

"Because her death is on your hands." His voice was the hiss of a snake.

Loki looked up in bewilderment. He shook his head. "I wouldn't hurt Mother. I would never." He frowned, looking back down at Frigga. "I didn't hurt her." He reached out to touch her but stopped. H couldn't put his filthy, bloody hands on mothers dress.

"You did, boy."

He looked to Odin in shock. "What do I do, Father? Tell me! What do I do?"

Lexie heard Loki's question. "Oh hell no." She scrambled out from behind Loki, letting him fall back on pillows. She climbed over him, straddled his narrow waist and shook him, "Loki! Wake up! Loki!" She slapped him and his eyes opened.

Green eyes looked out, Frigga's body was gone. There was that woman again. Loki knew her. He knew her. "So much blood." He tried to raise his hands to look at the blood but his body still wasn't his own and instead they fisted into claws. His eyes closed as his head pushed back.

Odin leaned down. His voice gentle. "Do you want forgiveness? Do you want all the pain to go away, my son?"

"Please." It was a lost child's wail.

"Then Break. Break, boy." The voice couldn't hide the hate. But Loki was beyond the subtleties of what the words sounded like. 

Loki felt something crack inside as he looked at his mothers body. Gold dress. Green trim. His colors. She died in his colors. "Break." The word slipped out and he tasted it on his tongue and lips. Bitter. Like something burnt. He smelled smoke. He looked to the side and was looking into a dark library, small flames starting to burn loose papers. Someone's library was on fire.

"No. No breaking." Lexie slapped him again. His eyes stayed closed. "Damn it Thor, hurry up." She made a fist, a knuckle sticking out she gave Loki a sternum rub and after a long second he flinched away from her. 

Loki's eyes opened as he painfully groaned. He stared at the woman, sure she had stabbed him in the heart. He felt the pain fade. She was glaring at him. He knew her. She knew him.

"Look at me. Odin is lying to you, Loki. You just have to wait a minute more. Thor is in Asgard and is going to make him stop. Okay? Just wait." Loki's body flexed up into hers.

"Break boy."

Loki closed his eyes. Blood was everywhere. He was covered in it. "Father!" He again felt a searing pain over his heart. "I will. I will." Loki bent his head to the floor, kneeling it in the blood. He pulled in a breath that shuddered like a child who had cried themselves to exhaustion. "I brea-"

Lexie covered Loki's mouth with her hand and grabbed him by the throat and squeezed.

"FATHER."

Odin's eye opened and he stared into Thor's blue eyes.


	18. Chapter 18

Odin stared at Thor with a scowl on his face. His son looked back at him thoughtfully, an emotion in his eyes that Odin couldn't recall having seen there before. Suspicion. Odin picked up Gungnir, allowing it to strike the floor with a thud.

"I gave orders that I wished to see no one."

Thor smiled tightly, pacing slightly. "I knew you did not mean your first born son." He smiled wider and shrugged. "Now if it were Loki, I'm sure you would want him to wait."

Odin let his eye study Thor as he walked the floor, arms loosely clasped behind him. Odin raised an eyebrow, letting displeasure into his voice. "You appear before your king still in Midgardian dress?" 

Thor made a show of looking down at his clothes then back at Odin. "Forgive me. Father." Without removing his eyes from Odin he made Mjolnir appear and changed clothes with a burst of lightening that was more than what was required. And he knew that Odin knew it was more than what was required. Rather than his usual clothes or even his court clothes, he had chosen clothes that he knew Odin would recognize as his actual battle dress. Not what he wore for common fights but what he wore when he knew he would be in mired in blood and mud for days.

"Does this better meet your approval? Father?" Thor saw the lines tighten at Odin's eye and he let his smile turn hard. 

"What brings you to disturb my peace?"

Thor raised his chin. "I have news of Loki." He said nothing more. He watched as there was no expression that crossed Odin's face. Odin should be asking what the news was. He should be asking where Loki was. Except it was suddenly very clear that he had no questions about where Loki was. He already knew his location. He already knew everything. And for Thor that meant only one thing. If there was any last doubt about Odin's responsibility for Loki's condition it vanished. In its place Thor felt the instant eruption of boiling betrayal.

Lexie looked down into Loki's disconcerted eyes. Keeping her and over his mouth, she released his throat and he took a shuddering breath through his nose. "Don't you say a word. I mean it. Be quiet." Her voice a growled command. He started to close his eyes and she shook his head, "No, keep your eyes open." She didn't know how much time she had. "You will not break. You hear me? No breaking." She leaned forward as his hips raised her. "Thor is getting Odin to leave you alone. You just need to hold on a little longer." She slowly pulled her hand away from his mouth.

"My fault." His voice was filled with self loathing. "It was my fault!" His eyes didn't want to met hers, he started to look away.

"I don't care!" She looked into his startled eyes. "I don't care if it was your fault or not. That asshole doesn't get to be your judge and executioner. Not him. So no breaking."

Loki closed his eyes. Lexie roughly shook his face but his eyes remained shut.

He lifted his head, he was sticky with blood. Frigga was in front of him but Odin was gone. He reached out to push a strand of hair from her face, he left a smear of blood on her cheek and his hands moved uncertainly. He didn't know what to do. He kept making things worse. Both hands wavered over her in his uncertainty until with an outcry he pulled her body to him, on his lap and he rocked with her. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry." His heart felt like it was being split apart and he groaned in agony as he raised his head and stared at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are. Doesn't matter." Lexie stared down into green eyes. "You stay here. Don't you leave me again." She demanded.

"I can't. I have to break. I have to." His shoulders shifted, his hips twisted as he pushed at Lexie. "I need it to stop. Just to stop." His voice told of his desire to end his suffering no matter the cost. "Please. Let me go."

"No. No breaking." She swiped at her face. Damn it, she was crying. "Just a minute more, okay? One more minute, Loki." Her voice lost its commanding tone as her throat felt like it was tightening as more tears ran down her cheeks. "Then you can break. Hold on for one minute. Just one more minute, okay?" She held his face in her hands, her thumbs ran over his cheekbones as she leaned closer to stare down into his eyes.

Loki stared at her. He knew her. He nodded then mumbled, "One more minute."

Odin saw when the understanding flashed over Thor's face. He raised his chin and stared down at his son. Thor climbed several steps in anger until Odin pointed Gungnir at him and made a dark noise of warning. "Don't push me, boy. You know what I'm capable of."

Thor shook his head. "How could you do this to him? Loki is your son!"

"He is not my son!" Odin stood.

Loki whispered, "Break? Break now?" He stared up into the woman's eyes. He knew her face.

"No. One more minute. Just one more."

At the bottom of the steps Thor paced like an animal whose prey was just out of reach. His hand held Mjolnir so tightly his fingers were white. He looked up at Odin, his disgust clear. "Perhaps you feel he is not. But he is my brother. And he will always be mother's son."

Odin snarled and came down a step. He struck Gungnir down on the stone and Thor flew backwards, sliding across the floor. 

"Break now? Please?" Loki's body arched so quickly that Lexie was nearly thrown off of his body. His hands clenched into fists and pressed at his temples as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. His breathing was coming in desperate pants.

"One more minute. Just one more." Lexie forced her words out while lowering her head use her shoulder to swipe her tears away.

Thor rolled to his feet. He stared at Odin while his body moved as it did while approaching any enemy. Tense, walking lightly, ready to evade at the slightest hint of attack. "You'll leave him be."

"What?" Odin's voice gave away his amazement at Thor's audacity.

Thor pointed towards Odin. "You will leave his mind alone. And never enter it again."

Odin gave Thor a malevolent grin, leaning forward. "And why should I do that? The monster is just waiting to break."

Thor flinched at Odin's word yet he answered in an uncompromising tone. "Because otherwise you will have lost two sons." There was a touch of cruelty in his own smile. "Both heirs. Leaving you to sit on your throne, king to an heirless kingdom. To wait for death. Only then will I return." There was spite in the smile now. "Or perhaps I will let Loki claim the throne as recompense for his pain." 

Odin's face no longer hid any of his emotions. He stared at Thor with a hatred that before had only been directed at Loki. There was an unstable aggression growing in his posture.

"Or perhaps we both will simply leave Asgard to anyone who desires to claim it."

"Please!"

"No."

Odin stared at Thor. Both men silent. Thor had finished speaking. It was now Odin's turn. The AllFather remained silent. Thor spun on his heel and began to walk away. Not to the hidden exit but the main doors. If he could not save Loki then he would leave Asgard with the tale of his pride and honor intact.

"Wait." 

Thor stopped. His heart gave a single, painful leap then he slowly turned.

"Very well." Odin's voice was unnaturally pleasant. "However I will require something of you."

"You have it."

Odin's smile was treacherously depraved. He gave a careless wave of his hand. "It is done. He is released." His tone said it was such a little thing, a simple thing. He pointed to the foot of the steps to his throne and waited with a gleeful face until Thor approached them. "I require your loyalty."

Thor frowned. "You have it."

"No." The word was a hiss of denial. "I had the loyalty of a son of Odin." The words were spoken nastily, thrown at Thor's feet as though they had no value. "I demand the loyalty of a soldier of Asgard. Unquestioning. Unflinching." Again with the smile. "Without thought."

Thor straightened, his chin jutted out. He was being insulted. Anyone else and he would have killed them. Odin was saying that a common soldier was more loyal to Odin than he was. As Odin's son he had the right to question him. As a common soldier he would never have that right. Thor pressed his lips together so tightly he wasn't sure if he could open his mouth enough to even push the words out. He nodded. Finally the words came out roughly, "You have it." He turned to leave.

"Swear your oath."

Thor stopped. His back to Odin the pure loathing on his face wasn't visible. He closed his eyes until he had forced his feelings to at least be masked for a moment then turned around to face Odin. "I swear on my-"

"Kneel."

Thor stared at this man who was his father. The thought came to his mind of all the times he had stood by and observed this exact same scene with Loki. He realized that Odin's vitriol at Loki was nothing new. He now marveled at his brothers self control when they had all spoken so often of his lack of it. With a slowness that bordered on contempt he lowered himself to a knee and stared at Odin.

"I swear this oath on my honor. To obey my king and to wait on him faithfully. To serve Asgard unto my blessed death in her defense. I swear this oath with no deceit in my heart." Thor gave the oath of the common soldier, he refused to give any other and Odin had no right to demand it. Yet it was clear in his attitude that Thor was no common soldier giving his oath but rather that he was a god. He would not look away respectfully from his kings eye. Rather he met his king's prideful glare with one of his own.

Finally Odin motioned and Thor rose and bowed low, lower than he had ever done in his life. As he was about to turn once more to leave, Odin spoke for one last time. "No. You will remain here. By my side" He pointed. "Until I see fit to dismiss you." There was a cocky aloofness in his tone that made it clear that he felt he had twisted the Norns to his will and won.

Thor walked up the steps until he was three below Odin, he turned and faced out. Hands clasped behind him, under his cape. He would stand and wait on his king.

Lexie watched Loki's eyes. He was fighting to keep his eyes open and focused on hers so she saw the moment she knew Thor had been successful. There was an actual burst of something green, for an instant she felt like she saw strings, ropes, chains and bindings all uncoil and spiral off into infinity. His eyes were wide, the green unnaturally bright.

He took a huge, heaving breath. She felt and saw his magic as he accessed it, his arms being thrown out from his body. She saw how abruptly Strange's bindings contained it. A scent of fresh rain on dirt, snow on pine, ice in the wind and the same strong ozone smell of Thor's lightening. She saw swirls under his skin, spirals, curls and whorls that escalated until she scrambled off the bed because they were pulsing like a light show. 

It looked as though the magic were searching for an escape, racing from head to toe, side to side and front to back. All while running along the surface, pushing. Bursts and streaks. Ripping from a body that couldn't contain it. Loki arched, then dropped to the bed in a seizure. The orange bands digging deep into the pale skin, tightening as Loki's magic fought in a frenzy to escape. Then just as suddenly they stopped and his body went still.

Creeping closer to observe him, she could see the change in him physically. The lines on his face were gone. Despite the utter chaos he had just gone through, she had never seen him look so peaceful. His eyes had slipped shut, his breathing was even and calm. As she watched longer she saw as his body began to move once more.

His body flexed, he pushed with his hips, slowly raising his chest and jaw, exposing the beautiful curve of his throat. Long, graceful fingers deliberately grasped the sheets tightly. Except this time there was no sign of pain. There was no over tightening of muscles, no spasms, no popping of joints or tearing of ligaments. As Lexie watched Loki, it was obvious that there was only pleasure traveling through his body this time.

Loki looked around his library in utter confusion. He closed his eyes, pressing his palms into them until he gained his equilibrium back. He forced himself to think about what he knew. About what he had last known. His eyes snapped open as he held his hands out in front of himself.

Frigga wasn't laying murdered in front of him and there was no blood covering him. He swallowed as he turned his hands over to make sure they were clean of her blood. He noticed the small fires around him and motioned for the fires to go out. He felt a tightening on his forearms and looked down at them and felt shock, horror and disgust explode in himself.

"What? What is this? Midgard?" He rubbed harshly at the glowing lines on his arms. "Filthy Midgardian magic." He turned his arms around, he understood the spell, it was simple but effective. He sought his magic, pushing it as hard and fast as he could then felt it hit the boundaries and hissed at the pain. That was certainly not simple. He growled, that would need to be taken care of. As did the one who dared to think they could hold him.

He went back to looking around, taking a hesitant step when his foot touched something. He reached down to pick up several loose pieces of paper, then he moved forward to pick up a book. It fell apart in his hands, the binding broken, the stitching holding the pages were snapped. The pages fell, scattering at his feet. He shook his head, how was he ever going to put this all back? It would take so much time.

Anger bubbled up inside him. Anger, black and raw. Loathing for Odin came out in his voice, "No!" A scream. More and more until he had lost control and was hemorrhaging violence, the few books on the table were thrown off, scattered. He brought his fists down on the heavy, solid, wooden tables and they broke under his blows. He threw chairs to crash against the walls, others he raised over his head to bring them crashing to the floor, splintering them.

He muttered then would scream out his fears. "How am I to repair this? What am I to do? This will never be put back together. There is not enough time. He has won." Then his despair would swing back to uncontrolled, burning, madness.

"Loki."

At his name he spun around, his face going from violent frenzy to sudden, childish fear. His arms rose, hands outstretched. "No no no no." A child's whimpering prayer. "Stay away get away from me don't come any closer stop no." Loki stumbled backwards even though Frigga simply stood there looking at him.

She wore a light blue, silk dress, light and flowing, hair swept up. Even in the darkness she was clearly visible, she gave off her own light. Her hands were clasped in front of her, she looked at Loki with familiar concern on her beautiful face.

Loki licked at dry lips, convulsively swallowing as his eyes darted about in panic. "Are you real?" He whispered. "Are you her?" He kept his hands raised though they shook with agitation.

"Yes."

"Go away." Loki took another step backwards but hit a bookshelf and was trapped. His expression clearly showed he knew this and he raised his hands higher. "Stay back."

Frigga smiled though it was full of pain. "I'm sorry, Loki, so very sorry." She motioned to the surrounding chaos. "He had no right to this." Her chin rose. "There will be an accounting for this in his future. I promise." Her voice was a mothers attempt to sooth a child after a terrifying nightmare.

Loki's fear dropped. Sneering disbelief instantly replacing it. "Promise? You promise?" Loki gave a bark of mad laughter. Eyes wild he shook his head. "Make no promises to me. Just go away and leave me to my madness." He weakly motioned around himself, taking in the destruction. His eyes met Frigga's. As if revealing a shameful secret, he choked out. "I am mad, you know."

She let out a small breath. "You are my son. You have hidden strength. Endurance you haven't even touched. You will survive this. You have no idea how much stronger you will be for having suffered."

Now Loki grinned with pure malice, his eyes betraying his emotions, "Stronger for it? Woman, I needed no additional strength!" He took a step towards her. "I needed a father and instead I got a tormentor. A beast intent on exacting revenge in the most cruel and sadistic ways imaginable. He found solace in my agonies and I shall never again wonder where I learned to become a monster. It was never from the Frost Giants." His hand sliced through the air. "No! Oh no, I learned it at the knee of my so called father and king!" Loki once more was shrieking his state of mind out. 

"Loki-"

"He broke me." Loki's voice was void of all emotion, as though his mental state had suddenly been wiped clean. Eerily he had stopped in an instant. His body was rigid. "I'm unmade." Frigga shook her head but Loki continued in that same dead voice. "I never spoke the words. I didn't need to. I broke and he knew it. I came undone." Loki stared into a distant spot. "I can't remake myself." His arms weakly came up to encompass the damage around him. His head slowly turned as his eyes stayed fixed.

"You will survive." Frigga's voice was firm, certain. Loki didn't even look at her. "Your friends will help you."

"Friends?" Now Loki's head did snap around to look at her. "I have no friends." He sneered. 

"When you wake you will find that you have those who care for you." Her face begged Loki to believe her, her voice pleaded.

"You are as mad as I if you believe that."

"Thor cares for you."

"Thor? Thor?" Loki took a step towards her, his hands tightening into fists as though to strike her. "That illiterate barbarian? He is no more my friend than he is my brother."

Frigga smiled tightly, "Yes. Thor."

Loki stared for a long moment at the woman who was his mother. He knew she was. He knew he loved her. And he knew he hated her. All he wanted was for her to gather him in her arms and hold him until he had drawn enough strength from her to face this tribulation. he wanted her perfume to fill his lungs and sooth his spirit. He knew there were too many emotions inside him concerning her. They crashed and cut him. Now he waved an insultingly dismissive hand at Frigga. "Begone. I don't want to see you again." She remained and he howled, "Begone!"

Frigga's form held for a moment then began fading.

Loki watched until she was gone then fell to his knees, folded over them and pressed his head to floor. He wished he was dead.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious if how you feel about this chapter. After all that Loki has gone through previously, does his behavior make sense to you?

Down in the lab Bruce came over to Tony who was staring at a heads up display while his hands flew over it. His eyes were moving faster than his hands could move. Bruce ripped open a alcohol packet, "I need a sample."

Tony never took his eyes from the screen but his hands dropped to the button on his jeans. Bruce rolled his eyes to the ceiling, "Very funny."

One arm shot out exposing his inner arm while the other went back to moving information between four screens. His eyes still hadn't stopped moving.

"Just a finger stick will do now." He went to reach for Tony's hand but Tony brought the hand to Bruce's face and flipped up his middle finger. Bruce sighed long sufferingly but with a smile. "Nice. Real nice. Let me clean it and-" 

Tony stuck the finger in his mouth then wiped it off on his t shirt then stuck it back in Bruce's face. Bruce reached out and grabbed Tony's hand. "You're like a toddler, Tony. Worse because I can spank a toddler and send them to bed early." He wiped the offending finger with the alcohol wipe, did the stick and took his blood sample on a test strip.

Tony turned his head with a frown and a smirk, "why Bruce. Did you just say you wanted to spank me and take me to bed?"

Bruce's face flushed. "You're, what, Jesus, Tony." He made it back to his equipment, shaking his head. He sighed, muttering softly. 

Tony laughed, "you're so easy, Bruce, it's almost painful."

"Huh. I guess." Bruce turned and headed back to his equipment.

Tony glanced over at the back of Bruce. "You're just too innocent, Big Guy. It makes you such a fun target." Tony took a sip of his long cold coffee.

Bruce paused and his head slowly turned so he could see Tony out of his peripheral vision. When he spoke his voice was clearly curious. "Is that how you really see me, Tony?" He licked his lips. "Innocent?"

Tony turned to face Bruce a little more. "Well, not innocent innocent. But, you know, not worldly. Definitely you're not in my league." Tony grinned. "Compared to everything I've ever done, trust me my friend, you're innocent."

Bruce slowly nodded then looked down at his hands. "Tony." His voice was quiet. "I'm not, innocent. Not in any way that word could ever be used. You have no idea of the things I've done."

Tony turned to face Bruce. He knew Bruce. He knew this tone of voice and he knew this was no longer a joke. "What you do as, the Green Guy, isn't something I would consider as something that you do. You're working your ass off to control him. It's not your-"

Bruce spun around to face Tony who was shocked to see the pure anger on his friends face. "Don't you dare say it's not my fault. Don't you dare." The voice was full of self loathing. "I wasn't captured. I didn't get tortured. No one brainwashed me. No one else stuck a needle in my arm. I did this to my self. I made myself the monster, Tony." He was vibrating with anger. "Me." Bruce pointed to himself. "I did this."

Tony was watching carefully. Bruce getting angry wasn't something to turn your back on. "Okay, okay." He kept his voice calm, his hands out, palm down. "I just meant you're one of the good guys. A better man than most of us-"

"You think I was a good man before Hulk? You think I was this great guy?" Bruce shook his head. "I was an arrogant prick with seven PhDs who was smarter than anyone else and was going to prove it to the world. All on my own." He took a step towards Tony. "And look what I end up doing to the world." He gave a huff of angry laughter. "Destroying it."

"Bruce-"

"No, Tony." He shook his head. "I'm far from innocent. I've killed people. I'm not a good man, I never was. Have you ever asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. how many people have died because of Hulk?" His fists clenched. "I have. She keeps wonderful stats and I've got a running tally that you wouldn't believe." Suddenly he put his hands to his head and chest while taking deep breaths.

Tony moved to his friends side and slid an arm over Bruce's shoulder as that man bent over. "You're okay, you're okay. Just a little venting. No big deal. Now you're slowing the heart, thinking of cute puppies and fields of dead grass." Bruce turned his head to look at Tony who shrugged while still trying to calm his friend by rubbing circles on his back. "Dead grass is boring."

Bruce reached into his pants pocket pulling out a small pill bottle then slid down to the floor with his back against the cabinets. He tried opening the bottle with hands that shook when Tony knelt to take the bottle from Bruce's hands.

Opening it Tony asked, "One?" Bruce nodded and Tony shook one out and gave it to him. 

Bruce put it in his mouth and let it dissolve under his tongue while making a face at the taste. Sitting with his eyes closed, he knew what was coming and felt sweat on his forehead. He clasped his hands together to try to stop the shaking, leaning his head forward while pressing them to his forehead.

Tony looked at the bottle in his hands, there was no label on it, just about a half dozen small, white pills inside. He noticed the sweat running down Bruce's face and felt his own heart rate. It was pounding but he ignored it. 

Bruce reached out and put his hand on Tony's shoulder, gripping his t-shirt tightly, "Don't, don't. Freak. Out." He said quietly. He was staring at Tony intently. Bruce was panting shallowly while tugging on Tony's shirt. 

Tony tilted his head, "About what?" At that moment Bruce's eyes slowly unfocused and he sagged over and would have hit the floor if Tony hadn't reached out and grabbed him. "Shit." Tony slowly lowered Bruce to the floor. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., tell me what the hell is going on."

"The doctor's heart rate was accelerated to a dangerous level. Once he ingested the unknown substance, Boss, his blood pressure rapidly dropped and he passed out. His heart rate and blood pressure are returning to normal and he should be waking any moment."

Tony saw Bruce's eyes start to twitch, and just as F.R.I.D.A.Y. said, Bruce opened them. After wat seemed like a struggled, he got them to focus and looked up at Tony. "Sorry about that." He said quietly with a frown as he appeared to be taking stock of himself.

Tony stared at Bruce, emotions running across his face so quickly that Bruce couldn't keep up with all of them. Tony seemed to finally settle on a mix of anger and relief. "What the hell just happened?"

Bruce closed his eyes. He raised his knees, he was tired, beyond tired and decided that he wouldn't mind just laying on the floor for a long nap. "I, shouldn't have let myself go. I'm sorry, I'm usually in control." He winced and spoke quietly. "Sorry."

Tony sat himself back against the row of cabinets opposite Bruce. "I think this past week- Week? I'm not sure if that's right. " He frowned as he thought. " Seems like much longer than that. And much shorter." He dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "Better you have these small moments of stress relief than another big green one."

Bruce turned his head to look at Tony. "That's just it. I can't chance even a small moment of stress relief. And I know it." He looked back up at the ceiling lights. "I already lost it once this week. And with Lexie." He pressed his palms into his eyes, trying to stop seeing her running from him. "God, Tony. That's my nightmare. And it came true. He was chasing someone I care about. He would have killed her."

"You don't know that. Could have been a whole King Kong thing and we would have found you two on the roof." Bruce again turned his head to look at Tony who gave him a weak grin and winked. Tony shook the pill bottle. "What's this?"

Bruce took a deep breath then let it out. "It's made from a plant found in Bhutan. It almost instantly slows your heart rate. Which for me keeps, the Other Guy, from coming out. I'd been doing really good so I stopped carrying them on me. But after what happened with Lexie, I'm carrying them on me again."

Tony nodded thoughtfully. "What's the downside?" He rolled the bottle, the pills quietly moving inside.

Bruce didn't speak for a moment. "Well, right now I have a killer migraine that's going to last for awhile."

He nodded some more, still slowly with a contemplative expression. "And? What else?" His voice was unrelenting. Tony was going to get his answers.

"And it's not good for my heart." Bruce sighed. "Really not good." 

Tony watched as Bruce subconsciously rubbed at his chest. He recognized the motions, he felt like his own heart was beating too hard, expanding too painfully. "How bad is really not good?" Tony tried to keep his voice and face neutral.

Bruce hesitated. He didn't want to answer Tony. It was something he'd been keeping to himself and now it was going to come out because Tony would figure it out. He always did. Bruce huffed out a breath, what was the point in keeping the information from Tony. He'd just poke and prod and needle until he got the answers anyway and by then Bruce would just be even more exhausted than normal. "I could die, every time I take one it could stop my heart."

Tony slowly nodded. He stared at Bruce for a long minute, the pills still gently rolling from the movement of the bottle. At the end of the minute he looked back at the bottle and asked his next question. "Uh huh. And how long have you had these pills?" Tony's voice was flat as he gave the bottle a single violent shake.

Bruce felt like Tony was toying with him. "Nearly a year."

"I. See." Now Tony's voice was stiff. He was looking at Bruce with a calculating expression, his brow slightly furrowed. He spoke with a deceptively slight curiosity in his voice. "And how many times have you taken a pill?"

Bruce pressed his lips together and shook his head. This was Tony's interest the whole time. Bruce rubbed the spot between his eyes while clenching them shut. Right now he just wanted to crawl into a cool, dark hole and sleep. Laying flat on his back on the floor he was tired of playing twenty questions.

"Bruce. How many times could I have found my best friend dead?" Tony growled out. He was just as offended and upset as Bruce knew he would be.

"Three."

"Three? So four if you count right now. Four times you could have been dead and I would have never known why." Tony was losing his cool calmness, his voice was rising and he was leaning forward, resting an arm on his knee.

Bruce rolled his head to the side and gave Tony a look that clearly said he doubted his words. "Yeah, I think you would have figured it out, Tony. You're kind of smart that way." Bruce let out a breath, ignoring Tony's glare. "Look, I wasn't sure it would work. I needed to make sure before telling anyone. And now you know. And they work, so." Even on the floor he shrugged while resting his hands over his eyes to block some of the light.

Tony was quiet. He stared at Bruce, totally understanding what Bruce was talking about. It didn't mean Tony was any less angry at the risks Bruce had taken but he understood them. Tony sighed out a quick breath. "You remember how you told me before Hulk you were an arrogant prick with seven PhDs who wanted to do everything on your own without telling anyone? Yeah, I think that guys still in there."

Bruce gave a low chuckle, "Hell yeah. He'll always be here. Just like Hulk."

Tony was still nodding. His lips pressed together and his expression was resolute. "Alright then. We keep you calm so you don't have to take these. No excitement, at all." He leaned forward and set the bottle on Bruce's chest. "So, sorry but looks like you don't get to spank me."

Bruce rolled his eyes and Tony laughed.

"Excuse me?" Tony and Bruce looked up to see Lexie looking down at them, a humourously curious expression on her face. 

Tony leapt to his feet and engulfed her in a tight hug while Bruce struggled to sit up. "Damn kid, everything's okay? It's all over? What the hell happened? Where's crazy?"

"Loki is still out of it in my place, I'll tell you all about it." She looked at Bruce, concern all over her face as she knelt down to look at him. "But first, what happened to you? You look horrible."

"Thanks." Bruce shrugged with a painful smile. "A long story too, but not as important as yours."

"Can we at least move you somewhere more comfortable?" Lexie saw the pain lines as Bruce squinted against the bright lights above him. "Maybe get you a pillow?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Couch, that sounds good."

Tony moved to help him up, stitches pulling which he ignored. "I'll have you know I've slept on this floor many times and it's always been comfortable."

Lexie snorted, "The only time it's comfortable is if you're passed out, not sleeping." 

Once they helped get Bruce to his feet he was able to get himself over to the couch where he sat heavily, lowering his head into his hands which he propped on his knees. Tony went over to a fridge, grabbed an orange juice from it then a bottle of pain killers. He shook out two into his hand then walked over to Bruce and nudged his shoulder. When Bruce looked up he handed him both and got a look of gratitude as thanks. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. turn off the light over us and lower the rest of the labs lights fifty percent."

Lexie smiled while Tony settled himself at the other end of the couch while Bruce slouched back. Despite a reputation as being utterly selfish Tony was known to be the exact opposite with his friends. Weirdly he could care so much that it bordered on a scary possessiveness.

"Okay, spill it kid." When Tony saw Lexie's scowl he smirked and help his hands up. "Ma'am, spill it ma'am. There, does that make you feel better?"

Shaking her head Lexie started telling the two what had happened. She told them what Loki had suffered, how he had talked about Odin, how he had tried to say he was breaking and how she had stopped him. Or at least how she hoped she had. How he had begged for permission to say the words and how she had refused. And then how suddenly she knew that Thor had been successful. The burst of magic from him and the glowing of the golden bindings as the magic was contained. Then finally how it was over.Tony looked at Lexie skeptically. "So god of crazy is right now back to getting off in your guest room?"

Lexie rolled her eyes while rubbing her forehead. "Yes, Tony. That's exactly what's happening. Right now."

Tony smirked with a thoughtful look. "Huh. He's been at it a long time." He turned his head towards Bruce who was refusing to open his eyes because he was refusing to get dragged into this part of the conversation. He may not be innocent but he also wasn't stupid. "I know there's a market out there for that product."

"Oookay, I'm heading back now. F.R.I.D.A.Y.s been keeping an eye on him but I told Thor I would watch him so that's what I'm going to do." 

"So," Tony drew the word out. "I just want to-"

Lexie turned to face him with a hand up, her lips lifted into a half smile but her features were firm. "I know what you're going to say. Again. It's going to be the exact same thing that you've said before. And that everyone else has said to me. Before. And I've got to say Tony, I really don't want to hear it again. I will be careful. I will do my absolute best to not be stupid." Tony opened his mouth but Lexie continued speaking. "I will not trust him. I will think before I act." She looked at him. "But before all of that, I'm going to trust what I know. I'm trying to figure him out as much as you are because I know how important it is. Let me do my part to help you do your part."

They looked at each other for several seconds before Tony nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets to keep himself from pulling her into a savage hug. He knew she needed to feel she could do this on her own, without him. He was going to let her. Or at least let her think she was because no way in hell was he letting her take Loki on by herself. "Okay, okay." 

Lexie squinted at Tony. No way was he giving up this easy. He was just going to sneak around behind her back, she'd have to pretend she didn't know. Walking past him she mentioned, "Thor seems to be taking his time getting back. I thought he would be right back to make sure Loki was okay."

"Yeah," Tony agreed following her once more. "He must have gotten hung up in a feast or two. I'm sure he'll be back as soon as he can. I'll have F.R.I.D.A.Y. let you know as soon as he's back. Though you'll probably feel it."

"Thanks. I'm going to stay with Loki till this is over, I don't know how much longer that's going to take. Thor had mentioned it should last overnight, but that's with a normal dose. Who knows how long with this much of an overdose." Lexie had stepped into the elevator and Tony stopped the doors from closing. 

"Hey, Thor said not to mention any of this to Loki, or to any one. I guess its some sort of freaky taboo subject on Asgard that no one talks about." Tony rolled his eyes.

Lexie nodded, "Sounds good to me. I have no problem never talking about this. Ever."

Tony smirked and let the doors close. As soon as they did the smirk dropped off his face and he was back to looking pensive. Now he had two selfless idiots to look after.

Lexie watched over Loki for the next four days, there was no change in his behaver. What she did notice was that he became dehydrated, his lips cracked and bled. She constantly wiped at them with a wet cloth, trying to get a little moisture into his mouth in those seconds of rest. He swallowed desperately but she knew he wasn't getting enough. Even putting balm on his lips didn't seem to last.

At first she sat at the side of the bed but it was too far away so she ended up sitting next to him. He stayed in one spot, there was no moving around the bed. The time spent with him, watching him, left her feeling fuzzy and jetlagged. She knew when it was daylight and when it was night because of the small amount of light allowed through a break in the curtains. But the actual time during those periods weren't important. She ate when she was hungry, used the bathroom in the room and remembered to take care of Merlin. She gave herself bonus points when she grabbed a shower and changed clothes, usually into another pair of sweat pants and a loose t-shirt.

"Thirsty."

Once more the words made Lexie jump even though they were a dry whisper. She grabbed the water bottle and helped Loki to sip from it, water running down his chin to soak his hair and the bed below him. 

Opening his eyes he looked up at her without recognition, eyes glassy with a hollowness in them. She let him drink all that he wanted, he was a god after all. he could probably handle it.

His eyes closed. He still had small tremors, convulsions, that involuntarily moved his body but they were nothing like what he had been going through. Once he drank he settled back into something like a restless sleep.

Lexie studied him. His face was calm and smooth. His fingers trembled and she picked one hand up to look at them. "These are the hands of an artist. Or a piano player." She spoke quietly but didn't worry about waking him, she was pretty sure that wasn't going to happen. "Do they even have piano's on Asgard? I'm sure they have some type of musical instruments." She rubbed his fingers. "Do you play one?" She enclosed his hand in both of hers and looked around the room."But an artist creates. And all that we know about you is that you've destroyed, destroyed so much. Here on earth and even other planets."

Lexie leaned slightly forward and again studied Loki's face. "Every single person that I trust is telling me not to trust you in the slightest." She brushed damp hair back from his sweaty face. "Am I stupid and naïve? Has everything I've done for you been reckless? Because I'm too trusting?" She squinted at him. "So the question for me now, is do I keep treating you the same or do I treat you like the," she shrugged, "danger everyone says you are? Because you are dangerous. There's no doubt about that." She wiped his brow with a damp cloth. "But how dangerous are you for me?"She set his hand down and closed her eyes while rubbing her forehead. "You're giving me a migraine." She scooted several feet over and reached for a book on the nightstand. Grabbing several pillows she rolled over and tucked them under her arms and chest. With another glance at a sleeping Loki she yawned and started reading.

Loki woke knowing he had a female next to him. He distinctly smelled her scent, a mint with some sort of bright fruit along with her own personal flavor. He inhaled and turned towards her. Opening his eyes he looked over and in the light coming in through the drapes he could see a dark haired woman was laying close to his side, resting within his right arm. He frowned at seeing her hair in a long, thick braid, usually his bedded woman wore their hair spilled out. In the dimness he didn't recognize her and he frowned, that was, peculiar. There were so many women but he remembered them all. Hadn't he killed them all? Over and over? He didn't remember killing this one. Odd. Was that important? He shook his head, it mattered not. He rolled half over her body, his left leg sliding over her. Putting his left hand on her chest he inched it up towards her throat.

Lexie's eyes snapped open. Her mind took in a lot of information all at once and acted on it instinctively. She saw the dark shape of Loki above her outlined against the lighter ceiling. His arm under her, his leg already halfway over her body. Reaching up despite the awkward angle she put her hand on his chest and pushed. "No. No, no no no stop. Stop, Loki. Stop."

His body froze. Then she saw his head tilt. At this angle she couldn't see the details of his face at all but she heard the surprise and curiosity in his voice that spoke low, "Stop? No?" Again that head tilt, this time the other way. "No one ever tells me to stop. No one." He sounded puzzled yet confused. His fingers flexed at her throat.

"Well let me be the first." Lexie swallowed some of the fear that she would gladly admit she was feeling. 

Without warning Loki dropped his head down next to her face and inhaled deeply then turned ever so slightly to whisper in her ear, "I can smell your scent. Why can I smell your scent? No one ever has a scent. Why do you?" While he was asking a question, there was a very real threat in his tone.

"Well, if you're telling me I need to shower, I'll be happy to go right now." She tried to slide out from under him but it was no use. She was pinned.

He had lowered his torso so that he was nearly laying on her, now he rose enough to point a finger in her face while snapping out, "Don't. You. Move." Loki watched the woman nod her head then lowered his own head back down beside hers, he breathed her scent in again. He felt it enter his mind. He knew it. But how? How? His head was pounding, a piercing spike through his skull.

Lexie heard Loki breathing raggedly then start to mutter, his mouth next to her ear so she heard every word he whispered. Her right hand came up without her intent and rested lightly on the back of his neck, making soothing motions. Hardly touching where his skull met his neck.

"What has happened? Somethings wrong. So wrong. Can't think. What has happened?" He nearly groaned out his words in frustration. "What is wrong with me?" He dropped his head on to the woman's shoulder and continued to breath in her scent. Though the pain remained something about it soothed something inside him.

"Loki, do you want more light?" After a long pause where he had gone silent and still, his head nodded. Still speaking carefully she said, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. Lights slowly up fifty percent." The room began to lose its shadows and she was able to gradually see Loki's face. 

Loki raised his head just enough to peer around the room, he recognized nothing about this room, he had never been here before. Looking back down at the woman he slowly moved his thumb that was on her neck, rubbing at flesh that went up towards her jaw, "Where is this place? Where am I?" There was still a threat but now his tone held more of a question.

Before Lexie could answer the door to the apartment opened, Loki tensed as they heard the sound of heavy footsteps. The door to the room wasn't shut all the way and now it was pushed forcefully back. "Loki!"

Loki turned his head and shoulders to look back at the intruder and his left hand flew out as a signal to Thor. "No, no, no, I don't want you. Stop." The threatening tone had been replaced with a fearful demand. He moved slightly off Lexie so he could move back, away from Thor.

Thor held his hands out, palm up. Dressed in his Asgardian battle clothes yet without his signature red cape he looked tired but he spoke soothingly. "Loki, let Lady Allexandria up."

Loki turned to look down at the woman. His brow was furrowed, his lips pressed tightly together while he seemed to be trying to put the name with the woman under him. "No." He looked back at Thor. "No. Go away." He pointed a finger at him, "Go. Away."

Thor shook his head. "I can't do that, Brother."

"Not my Brother!" Loki ground out then clenched his eyes tightly as the pain in his head spiked. He leaned back down towards the woman, his hand going back to her throat, "are you real? Are you real, is this real?" He looked around the room, his distress coming off him in waves.

"Yes, I'm real. This is all real. Thor's real." Lexie felt Loki's entire body vibrating, she wasn't sure what was the cause but thought it had to be a combination of emotions and what ever had happened in Asgard in releasing him from Odin's control. 

Loki looked to Thor, "Are you real?"

"Yes, I'm real." Thor sounded nearly heartbroken.

Loki's eyes darted around. He licked cracked lips, glanced back at the woman whose body he still half covered. "Since when?" His eyes rose to meet Thor's, "real since when!" His voice demanded.

"Why don't you let Lady Allexandria go and you and I can speak?" Thor gave a half smile.

Loki's eyes narrowed, without his looking away from Thor, his right arm that was under Lexie's body flexed and yanked her closer to him. At the unexpected movement she reached out and splayed her hand across his bare chest and Loki hissed as he looked down where they touched. His eyes met hers with confusion and she jerked her hand back. He stared at her through narrowed eyes then slowly his right arm relaxed and he moved his leg off her slightly, leaving just his knee on her. Turning back to Thor who had watched all of this with interest, Loki asked again, "Real since when?"

"It's been real since we rescued you from Thanos." Both Lexie and Thor came close to holding their breath at the mention of that name. 

His reaction was milder than what they were expecting. Thor saw Loki's brow frown, his eyes dart around the room as if searching for the Titan. "Thanos." The word was a whisper. "That was real." Loki spoke a statement. Then more certain, "That was real."

Thor nodded, "Yes, that was real. We rescued you from Thanos."

Loki's gaze went from Thor to the woman who still lay under him, he raised an eyebrow at her. His disbelief at her having any hand in being a part of his rescue was obvious and he ignored her eyes narrowing at him. Looking back at Thor he shook his head, "I don't remember a rescue. None of that."

"You wouldn't. You were in no condition to remember it." Thor took another step closer but stopped when Loki tensed and glared at him. "Loki, please, let Lady Allexandria go."

"No. Where am I? What is this place?" Loki saw how uncomfortable Thor got. "Don't try to lie to me, you soft-headed half-wit." He looked at the woman when he heard her snort in laughter but she looked innocent when she met his eyes.

"Midgard."

Loki's eyes grew wide. He didn't know what he expected but that was not it. He exhaled the word out, "Midgard." He swallowed, "Why? Why here of all places?"

"Where else was I to take you, Loki?" Thor sounded exasperated. "There is no other realm that I can take you to and keep you even the slightest bit safe. I needed a place where I could leave you to be cared for when I wasn't able to see after you myself."

Loki looked at Thor in a growing confused repulsion, "Where am I?" His voice rose in volume. "Where am I on Midgard?"

Thor moved closer, once more his hands were out in a placating gesture meant to sooth Loki but only had the opposite effect. "You're at the Avengers complex."

Loki scowled fiercely, his mind searching, "Avengers? Avengers?" His eyes filled with panic as the memories came crashing back, "The monster? The, the, man of Iron? You brought me to my enemies? Barton?" His breathing became a loud gasping. "Why? Why?"

Lexie raised a hand to Loki and set it on Loki's chest, "It's okay, just breathe-"

Loki looked down at the woman then scrambled back away from her, pushing himself as quickly as he could. He spit out, "Get your filthy, Midgardian hands off of me, you disgusting mortal." He saw the woman's eyes widen, he recognized the absolute emotional pain she suffered from his words then the utter loss of expression on her face.

"Loki!" Thor's voice thundered in the enclosed room and Loki flinched at the sound as he turned to look at his brother, shoulders hunching as if expecting a blow. Thor took the final steps to the bed and reached for Loki who now put his hands up to ward off those huge, angry fists grasping for him. "You owe your life to Lady Allexandria."

Loki struck out at Thor, "Don't you touch me!" There was utter panic in his voice.

Thor grabbed his brother in anger, thinking of what Loki could have done to Lexie if Heimdall hadn't been watching and if Thor hadn't been instantly available to go. He felt anger and guilt at once more having allowed Loki room to simply be himself. Trickster god. Betrayer.

Lexie had moved away from Loki as soon as he had gotten off her. She'd had emotional whiplash, going from shock at Loki's painful words spoken to her to a desperate feeling of needing to protect him from Thor's obvious anger. She was suddenly moving across the bed back to Loki, putting herself right in the middle of the two brothers. "Stop, Thor! Let him go!" She tugged at one of Thor's giant fingers while putting a hand on Loki's chest, trying to push him back towards the beds headboard.

Thor stepped back, picking Lexie up around the waist and slinging her under his arm. He had no intention of leaving her anywhere near Loki.

That was the moment that Tony and Bruce came through the door, obviously aware that something was going on. Tony wore his Iron Man gloves, the repulsors lit up and ready to go as he held them up ready to blast Loki.

Thor had set Lexie down who had spun around to tear into him but now she focused on Tony. Raising her arms standing between he and Loki she asked with a shout, "what are you doing?"

Tony looked at her with an expression of disbelief, "Uh, saving your ass from the god of crazy." He lowered his hands and leaned around her to look at Loki. He frowned, "what's wrong with him now?"

They all moved to look at Loki but it was Lexie that moved towards him. Thor reached out to grab her but she smacked his hands away from her as she walked past. Tony and Bruce both raised an eyebrow while giving each other an unbelieving glance. 

Thor was obviously frustrated but rather than interfering, he clasped his hands tightly into fists. If he had to bring harm to Loki he would do it, just as quickly as he would fight to save him from harm. Thor felt his jaws begin to ache.

Lexie chose to sit on the bed next to Loki. He had laid back against the headboard, his arms over his head. Eyes clenched shut he looked like a child hiding from an expected blow. Lexie leaned down to hear his whispered words, "this isn't real this isn't real this isn't real this isn't real."

She set her hand on his bare shoulder and he groaned. She leaned down to speak, her hand sliding from his shoulder to the back of his neck where she gently massaged him. Her voice was low, in his ear so that the others couldn't hear her words."You're okay. You're here. This is real."

He shook his head. "I don't want it to be real. I don't want to be here. Not here. Not. Here."

"You're safe. I promise."

Loki's head snapped up, his eyes wild and dangerous. His whole body shifted to one radiating a threatening hate as he leaned towards Lexie, "Safe? Safe, mortal? You dare think I would be foolish enough to believe that your pitiful form would be able to provide protection from the ones who seek my death?"

Lexie stared into those green eyes that were looking back into hers with so much anger that she actually felt herself take a shuddering breath to calm her nerves. It felt like minutes but she hoped it was only seconds before she swallowed and forced herself to break away from Loki's intensive stare and turn to look over her shoulder at Tony and Bruce. "Can you guys wait in the living room? Just give us a few minutes? I'll be right out."

Tony's mind told him to refuse. Refuse and tell Thor to take his insane brother back to Asgard and call them when he'd gotten the information about Thanos. Hell, call collect. Just take this damaged god away from Lexie. But that wasn't going to happen. Lexie was the only one of them who could talk with Loki, none of them could hope to build a relationship close to what she had with him.Tony felt his chest squeeze and he turned and left without a word.

Bruce gave Loki a studied gaze then glanced at both Lexie and Thor before he followed Tony. He had followed the same reasoning as Tony. Right now Lexie was the best chance for them to find out what Thanos had planned. Their only plan.

As for Thor, he had watched the whole scene play out before him while nearly holding his breath. He hadn't expected Stark to back down, rather he was waiting for a show of ego and having to separate the god and the genius. 

Lexie looked to Thor. "Would you be able to help him shower? I'll bring him fresh clothes and change the sheets."

Thor nodded with a slight bow, "Of course, Lady Allexandria."

Lexie gave him a tight smile and without looking back at Loki she got up and walked out of the room, leaving the door half open. When she got into the living room Tony and Bruce were in her kitchen, an open bottle of wine on the counter. Walking over to them she ended up frowning at them as she saw them drinking her wine from drinking glasses, "Why aren't you using the wine glasses?"

"Too small." Tony answered drinking the glass down and refilling it which emptied the bottle. He grabbed a second bottle from her wine rack and the corkscrew, working on getting it open. "Why don't you have any alcohol in your place?"

Lexie took Tony's glass that he had filled and took a healthy sip from it. He popped the cork and filled an empty glass which he took as his own. She glanced at Bruce who had half a glass and was sipping at it while leaning on the counter, resting on his forearms while staring down at the white wine. "What do you think you're drinking?"

"Uh, sparkling water?" Tony took a couple more swallows. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. remind me to put in a bigger bar and stock it with my favorite drinks."

"Will do, boss"

Lexie rolled her eyes and set her drink down. "I'm going to the supplies closet, grab some clothes for him to change into. We can talk once he's settled."

Tony kept his eyes on her, "Fine. Bring me something decent to drink on your way back."

In Loki's bedroom he had recovered enough that when Thor had reached for him he batted his hands away. "I'm not a child, Thor."

That god couldn't help but grin, it was tired but it was a true grin. "I know that, Brother."

"Not Brother." Loki seethed as he found he had no choice but to except Thor's help to rise out of the bed. He found his very bones ached, his joints felt on fire and he hated the way he needed Thor's strength to make it to the bathing room. Thankfully it was large enough that it had both a bath and a shower. Thor motioned to both, asking which one he wanted. Loki wanted nothing more than to sink into the water of a bath and soak his pain away. However he wasn't about to relax to that extent. He shuddered as he pointed to the shower and Thor began turning the water on.

Thor made sure the water was no more than warm in its temperature, Loki would say if he wanted it hotter. Stepping back he saw that Loki had removed his cotton pants and was now standing at his side, even weak, Loki could still move silently. He frowned as Loki just stared at the water. "Loki?" Thor took in the unblinking eyes. "Are you all right?"

Loki heard Thor's voice. He wanted to answer, to tell him that no. No, he was not all right. Instead he swallowed and ground out through a tight jaw, "Leave me. I don't need assistance to bathe." Thor hesitated and Loki snapped, "Out!"

Nodding Thor turned away, "very well, if you do need anything I'll be in your chamber." He left the door open, Loki certainly wasn't shy about his body and wouldn't care. Once in the bedroom he began to strip the bed of its linens.

Loki forced himself to step into the shower, turning the hot water off, leaving only the cold on. He pushed at the memories of Thanos tipping heavy iron pots of molten fire over him. Burning his flesh away, searing patches that burned to the bone. Loki forced himself to wash, to hurridly move as his mind replayed other memories of weeks spent as boiling water rained down on him, blistering his flesh deeper and deeper until it cooked him. Finally the memories became too crushing, he franticly rushed through rinsing his body so that he could step out and press himself against the wall.

Lexie came back into her apartment and brought Tony the decanter of alcohol and a glass. She wasn't sure what it was but his eyes lit up. "Ahh, yes, thank you." He was sitting on the leather couch, Bruce in one of the matching chairs. He had finished his wine and was now drinking water. He scowled at Tony who only raised his glass at him in a cocky salute.

Lexie headed into Loki's bedroom, a set of clean clothes over her arm. It was once again loose black cotton pants, a matching three quarter sleeved shirt and black boxers. Stepping into the room she stopped in surprise as she saw Thor bundling the sheets up in a ball. He noticed her and smiled."You look surprised at something."

"Uh, yeah. I didn't think a prince of Asgard knew how to remove sheets from a bed." She stepped further into the room.Thor blushed furiously. 

"Yes, Thor. Why don't you tell the mortal how you came to learn how to change your sheets."

Lexie and Thor both turned towards Loki's voice in time to watch him walk out of the bathroom. Naked and dripping wet. He had a towel in his hand that he was using to dry his hair.

"Loki!" Thor's voice was actually a strangled hiss. He stepped up and shoved the bundle of sheets to cover Loki's waist.

For what seemed like a very long moment Lexie stared at Loki but she really hoped it was one of those situations that turned out to only feel like a long time but was really just an instant. She really, really hoped that's what it was. She turned slightly away, her eyes closed as her head faced up. Good. Lord.

Loki slapped Thor's bundle of sheets away, "what are you doing? Get away from me with those filthy rags."

"Have a little modesty with Lady Allexandria, Brother."

"Not Brother." Loki sneered in Thor's face. "And modesty? When have you ever known me to be modest?"

"Then common curtesy." Thor walked over to Lexie, exchanging the bundle of sheets for the clothes draped over her arm.

"Curtesy to a mortal?" There was a dismissiveness in his tone as he sneered at Thor but he then turned his gaze on Lexie. She still was turned half from him, eyes closed. He looked her over with utter contempt, "Why would I show curtesy to a filthy, Midgardian?"

Now Lexie turned and met his green eyes. If he thought he would see emotion in her face he would be disappointed. Her voice was steady, there was no accusation in it, she was stating a simple fact. "Because you're a prince of Asgard and your mother raised you better. She would be disappointed in you." Lexie tossed the bundle of sheets into a chair and went to the closet where there were fresh sheets on a shelf. In the stunned silence she began making up the bed.

Thor said nothing. He looked down at Loki's face, the emotions running over his brothers face were enough to satisfy him that he didn't need to speak. He simply poked him in the shoulder and held out the pants.

As for Loki, he felt as though he had once more been impaled by Thanos. He didn't know if he was breathing, he was so stunned. He wanted to be boiling in anger, how dare this simple mortal even think of his mother? And because he was the God of Lies he also knew the truth when he heard it. Frigga would be beyond disappointed in how he was treating this woman. He felt Thor poke him in the shoulder and he dressed in the pants. He felt the edges of his mind blurring and he felt depleted down to his very soul. He was tired. So very tired. Turning his eyes were caught by the large, stand alone, mirror that he just now noticed.

Lexie had finished one side of the bed, she wasn't going to move to the other side until Loki was dressed. She glanced at Loki, he looked dumbfounded and she wondered how many had dared to ever challenge him before. Now she watched as he caught a look at himself in the mirror.

As Loki took a step towards the mirror Thor watched while Loki tilted his head then continued closer until he was only a few feet away. Thor followed closely behind. Loki slowly raised his arms, palms out and stared at his body. His torso, his face, his arms. He studied the damage that only he could see. For the first time he saw all the layers upon layers of torn and destroyed flesh that had been forcibly healed, repeatedly. And now he saw how thin he was, the muscles wasted away. The eyes sunken, the cheekbones that stood out like razors. He shuddered. He not only was weak, but he appeared weak as well. He looked down at his bare arms, seeing the faint golden glow of the restraining spell. He turned slightly to Thor, "I want these off." He held his arms out towards Thor, closing his hands into fists.

"I can not remove them. They are a part of your staying on Midgard." Thor's voice allowed no space for debate.

Loki pushed breath through his teeth while looking down at an arm. "Midgardian magic is filthy, impure, it taints me. It tries to feed off me."

Thor raised an eyebrow. He didn't like the way that sounded and would need to talk to Strange. However he couldn't trust Loki to tell the whole truth. "It stays. You're fortunate I was able to get you as much access to your magic as you have."

Loki turned back to the mirror, studying his body. There was a slow shifting, Lexie's eyes widened in amazement to watch real magic happening right before her eyes. It was one thing to see Thor appear and disappear, this was something else.

Thor's reaction was different. He heavily scowled as he watched Loki's face fill out to his normal, healthy look. His body gain muscle mass, building up until he had gained his former appearance. "Ahh, Loki, what a waste."

Lexie came around to their side of the bed to get a closer look. "What do you mean? He's healed himself."

Thor looked over his shoulder at Lexie and shook his head, "No, this is a glamour, a spell. It shows what he wants you to see." Loki slumped backwards and Thor easily caught him, one arm around his chest. "Why did you do it, stupid, little fool?" His tone was one of brotherly exasperation.

Lexie started making up the bed on this side, pulling it taut. "Because he's weak and he's surrounded by his enemies."

Thor slipped the shirt over a weakly willing Loki as that man gave a tired chuckle. Thor kept his arm around Loki and turned them both to watch Lexie finish making the bed.

Once done he walked them over to it. Lexie met Loki's eyes as she explained, "He may not be stronger but he looks stronger. That's all that matters."

Loki sat on the edge of the bed, never taking his eyes off the woman. "More proof that you're truly an idiot, Thor. A lowly," Loki paused, choosing his next words purposefully, "untrained, Midgardian female knows more strategy than you."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "Thor, I'll meet you in the living room." She looked at Loki with a raised eyebrow that went well with the raise of her lips, "Sleep well sweet prince." She grabbed the bundle of sheets as she left.

Loki watched her leave with a glower on his face then looked at Thor, demanding, "what does that mean?"

Thor shook his head with a shrug, "I'm sure she's just wishing you a good rest." He didn't bother to hide his faint smirk and could tell Loki didn't believe him. He went to help his brother into the bed and had his hands slapped away.

"I am still not a child, and you are still an idiot." Loki slid back and yanked the covers from Thor's hands. He leaned back against the pillows, fully and utterly exhausted. 

Thor turned off the light and the room was lit only by the light that came in from the window between the heavy drapes."Do you wish me to close them?" Thor motioned.

"No. Leave them open." Loki wasn't going to admit that he didn't want to be in the dark.

Thor nodded. He cleared his throat. "I, can't stay long. I have to return to fath-" He looked down at Loki's withering expression that was clear even in the faint light. "I have to return to Odin." For some reason this felt right on Thor's tongue and he didn't realize he gave a short nod before looking back to Loki. "I'll return to you as soon as I'm able." He started to walk out but was stopped by a word.

"Thor." The voice was low, nearly uncertain so when Thor stopped and turned around he was ready for the look on Loki's face. That hint of vulnerability that was desperately being hidden behind defiance. "When, you," Loki licked his lips. "When you, before you-"

Thor nodded, "If you're not awake when I must leave, I'll awaken you."

Loki gave a curt nod and turned over on his side.

Thor walked into the living room where everyone was sitting. He took his own seat in a large leather chair and allowed himself to sit back and close his eyes while exhaling a deep breath. After several long moments he pulled himself forward and rested his elbows on his knees and opened his eyes.

Tony was staring at him. Once they had spent a few seconds staring at each other with an assessing gaze, Tony turned it towards Lexie. He took a sip of his drink then gave her a head tilt before pointing a finger with the hand that held the glass while saying. "And you, I'm pretty sure I know what you're going to say, and the answer is no."

"Oh really?" Lexie raised an eyebrow.


	20. Chapter 20

Tony smirked at Lexie's tone of voice. "Yes really." He took a sip of his drink. "You want Reindeer Games to stay here, with you, in your apartment. Instead of going back to his cell, where he belongs."

Lexie held Tony's gaze for several seconds before shrugging, "okay. So maybe you do know what I'm thinking."

"Uhh huh. And the answer is no. You can be his friend," Tony made air quotes with his fingers, while looking towards the ceiling, "the same as you were before. With him in his cell and you here."

Lexie shook her head. "I don't think I can do that."

"Why not? You did a great job of it." Tony gave her a smug smile, obviously expecting an excuse he could easily run right over the top of.

"Because I don't think I could handle it, again. I did it before but, I was, living with him in that cell." She was sitting in a corner of the couch, her legs tucked under her. Now she looked at her hands, rubbing at one with the other, her teeth nibbling at her bottom lip. "It was a little harder than I expected it to be, to run from here to there." There was silence and she peeked up at Tony. He was staring at her, his face blank. She refused to look at Bruce or Thor. "I really don't want to do that again, Tony." She picked at a fingernail. "I will. If I have to."

After several quiet seconds, Tony blinked as if coming out of a trance and noticed everyone was looking at him. "Now why am I the adult here?" He took a sip of his drink. "Well. Shit." He had no problem looking from Bruce to Thor then back to Lexie. He let out a breath. "You sure know how to just suck all the fun out of a snarky comeback." He took another sip of his drink, looking thoughtful.

Taking a deep breath Lexie sat up straight while rubbing her face. "Let's have this conversation for the very last time." There was a determination in her voice. "I keep having it, over and over. This is it. No more. We figure it out for the last time." She looked at all of them. "You want Loki's help, let me get it. Or at least give me our best chance to get it. And if it turns out that he doesn't know anything, then maybe we'll at least have Asgard's most powerful sorcerer as our ally to help fight Thanos."

Tony held up a hand, a finger pointed at her. "Whoa right there. I may agree with the first part but that whole Loki as an ally is not gonna happen. No, no way."

Thor frowned. "My brother would make a powerful ally."

Tony shook his head, "I hate to be the one to tell you Sparkles but your brother is crazy as fuck. He could sell bags of crazy every day for a year and still have a lifetime supply. I wouldn't trust him to take out the trash much less take out a threat."

Bruce held up a hand, "Okay, okay, I think we get it." He ran both hands over his face.

Lexie stood. "Fine, we can agree to talk about that later. You agreed that he stays here in my apartment so that's all that matters."

Tony frowned, "Uh, no. I didn't agree to that." He shook his head.

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't. When did I agree to that?" He looked to Thor and Bruce, both of whom gave him knowing nods. He held up his glass, "No, no."

Lexie gave him a slightly smug look, "When you said you might agree to the first part of what I said."

"Might agree, might. Not that I did agree."

"Good enough." Lexie waved his disapproval away with a dismissive wave of her hand. It was a perfect copy of the way Tony did it. "I can't help him otherwise. And I know that's what you want me to do." She looked from Tony to Bruce and saw in their faces that she was right.

Bruce wouldn't meet her eyes. He hated the thought of Lexie being in danger and if he agreed to this plan then that meant he was responsible for anything that happened to her. He had a hard enough time trusting his own actions much less anyone else's. Especially a crazy god-like Loki. 

Tony forced himself to look right into Lexie's eyes without blinking. He would let her think whatever she wanted. He had his own plans.

"You don't have to feel bad, I want to help him. Even if you think I've just picked up a stray because I'm bored with nothing to do out here." Here at least Tony and Bruce had the grace to look uncomfortable. "And maybe that's true to an extent, I don't know." She gave her bottom lip a quick bite. "But I think I can help him and help all of us too. But I need you to stop," she waved her hands in the air, "telling me that I can't do this. I need your support, not, always having to defend myself and win this argument over and over." 

There was quiet for a moment then Tony stood unexpectedly. "Fine. He's all yours. But there's going to be some rules. F.R.I.D.A.Y. monitors him at all times." Lexie nodded quickly, she would have asked for the same. "And I'm installing a camera in here."

"What? No!" Lexie shook her head. "You're not putting a camera in my home to spy on me." Lexie looked at Tony with alarm.

"Not on you," he pointed to Loki's bedroom, "I'm watching him. I trust you. I don't trust him. Don't worry, the camera will be facing his door, never yours." He looked at her, his eyes hard. "There's no debate on this point, kid."

Lexie gave him an equally fierce gaze back. "I don't like the idea of you living in my home twenty-four-seven Tony. It's creepy."

"Fine. No sound. And I only access it if something happens." He shrugged. "Best offer." He crossed his arms and gave her one of his more brazenly self-satisfied smirks. "I can always tuck him back in his cell. Your call."

Lexie gave him a fixed look that clearly showed her lack of faith in his offer then raised her chin. "You can only access it with Bruce."

Tony squinted at her then gave a quick nod.

"And I have to be there when you watch it."

Tony heavily rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do we have a deal?" Lexie reluctantly nodded. Tony huffed his exasperation out. "I haven't had negotiations this tough since I was arguing over Pokémon cards." He reached down to grab his decanter. "And I'm taking my booze, you'll probably just waste it on him. Right now I'm gonna go get my tools and install it." They watched him walk out of the open door.

Bruce stood up, "I always feel like I should apologize for him." He took a deep breath and looked at Lexie, "you know he has no plans what so ever to follow any of those agreements, right?"

Lexie sighed. "I know. But I also won't feel bad when I smash his fancy camera when I catch him being a creeper." She gave Bruce a faint smile and a shrug. "It's just a matter of time."

"I know." Bruce sounded so disappointed. "I'll try and keep him from going obsessive for as long as I can. Then let you know when he does." He looked to Thor. "I'll also keep an eye on Loki to the best of my ability. If you have any info on, uh, Jotun, physiology, it would help me. Or anything about them actually." Bruce sounded hopeful while he raised a questioning eyebrow.

Thor's previous expression had been mildly amused at the entire conversation that had been playing out in front of him. He had known Lexie would get her way and that everything said was true. Loki was insane, there was no doubt about that. And Stark placing a camera for keeping an eye on Loki was only wise. Thor had no complaints since Loki would be allowed more freedom than he had hoped for. More freedom than was probably wise with Loki's mental state. Before he left he would need to speak about this. At Bruce's words however his expression changed to one more guarded.

He cleared his throat and it was obvious he chose his words carefully, "Physiology? You mean their function?"

"Yes, anything that could help me have an idea of any obvious differences to keep an eye out for."

"Asgard doesn't have many texts on Jotuns. What there is, isn't, meant to be scientific." From Thor's tone, he was uncomfortable about something. "No one has ever had the desire to make more than a basic study of them."

"Okay." Bruce studied Thor with the same intensity he gave to a chemical reaction. This fascinated him from a scientific standpoint but also from just his own innate curiosity. No one else on earth knew this information or had the opportunity to ask these questions. "Then what does Asgard have?" Bruce asked with a frown.

Thor licked his lips, his hands rubbed at the leather arms of the chair. "It's, more, drawings made for the purpose of battle. The best locations to strike for a killing blow. Or a blow to only incapacitate if that's the goal. Other drawings show the bodies of the dead. It's not-" Thor glanced at Lexie for a moment before forcing his eyes to slide past her. "It is unpleasant to look at but if you wish to see the inside of what Jotun's look like they are detailed enough for that purpose."

There was a heavy and horrified silence in the room. Thor refused to look again at either Lexie or Bruce. He had spoken clearly and firmly. They had asked. He had answered.

Finally, Bruce whispered. "I thought you guys were so advanced." He ran a hand through his hair. "Has Loki ever seen these drawings?"

Again Thor hesitated before answering. He had somehow straightened in the seat, sitting painfully upright. "Loki is an excellent artist."

Bruce tightly pressed his lips together and shook his head. But he couldn't pass up the opportunity. "Yes." His voice was almost ashamed. "I'd like to see them if you could bring them when you come back." Bruce left with his shoulders hunched, he hadn't liked any part of these conversations.

Lexie stared at Thor until he finally met her eyes. There was nothing in his that was ashamed, nor would he apologize. She could see his point, this was far in his and Loki's past and there were so many new traumas that had been inflicted on Loki that they needed to be concerned about. She sat back down on the couch on the corner closest to him. "What happened with Odin?"

Thor relaxed when he knew she wasn't going to ask him any questions that he wouldn't have to not answer. At least none from the far past. "He admitted to having Loki's mind in a hold. When I demanded he release him, he did."

Lexie shook her head, "It couldn't have been that easy."

"Actually it was." Thor looked over at her with a smile, "I simply threatened to never return to Asgard until after his death. Oh, and possibly give Loki the throne." His light tone ignored the weight of his words.

Lexie snorted a laugh then slapped a hand over her mouth. "You didn't."

"Yes, I did. I think that may have been the deciding factor. Because even a mad Loki would be a better king than what my father has become." The smile left Thor's face. "Odin has gone mad in his grief for the death of our mother." Thor had nearly whispered the words. "He blames Loki. And in return, he sought to drive Loki mad as repayment. To send him beyond his original purpose to break and then remake him. Odin's intent was to break Loki and leave him unmade. Shattered and broken and trapped in his own mind."

Lexie shivered. This was magic, beyond her understanding. "Are you sure he'll leave him alone? What if Odin comes back for him?"

Thor frowned, "He said he would leave him alone." Thor looked as though he were becoming aware of a new thought. "However I suppose he could still try to influence Loki." He raised his eyes to Lexie. "If you suspect anything like that you must send word to me through Heimdall. Meanwhile, I will try on Asgard to find what I can do to prevent it. Perhaps a charm." Thor was obviously thinking of the details of this safeguard.

"You're not staying?" Lexie sounded worried.

"I'm sorry, I can't. And I won't be able to return as often as I had hoped." Thor wore his regret openly, it was on his face in the sad twist to his mouth and in his downcast eyes. "I had thought to remain beside Loki now that he was found again. But that is not to be the case. At least not right now." Thor leaned forward in the chair, arms resting on his legs. "That puts more of the burden on you. I had hoped to, shield you from Loki's, temper and mischief."

Lexie's lips turned up on one side, "Temper doesn't sound good. Mischief doesn't sound that bad."

"They can both be hazardous with Loki." Thor smiled faintly. "He gets angry easily, his soul is overly sensitive and his emotions too close to the surface. With his mind unstable, my concern is that he will pass over anger and go straight to temper. I will tell you, though he rarely loses his temper, when he does, worlds shake. Standing beside him can be an unpredictable place to be." Thor looked at her intensely, "I need you to know this and not doubt my words. Loki will never intentionally hurt you. At least not physically. His wit can cut deep though."

Lexie met Thor's regard. "Well, he was pretty intense when he woke up."

"Intense but he did not hurt you. Provoked you to fear him, but he did not intentionally cause you pain." There was a declaration in Thor's words.

"I want to say that I understand but," she gave a huff, "I'll be honest and say I have no clue."

Thor nodded and seemed to let go of whatever he was trying to convey without saying. "Loki's mind has become, beyond my own understanding." He shrugged. "Yet perhaps it always has been. Now, unfortunately, I'm leaving you with him when his mind has never been further afield. Perhaps never to fully return."

"You said that, elixir, would repair his mind."

Thor looked pensive for a moment, "It did, to the extent it was able. But something else was done to him." He shook his head. "I know not what. Loki should not have woken in the state he was in, confused and uncertain of his reality."

"Well, he had been tortured for nearly two years. That would throw even Asgard's strongest Mage for a loop." Lexie shrugged one shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

Thor nodded and stared forward, he looked deep in thought. He folded his hands at his chin, his fingers rubbing against his top lip. There was something wrong with Loki.

Lexie stood and gathered the glasses from the large wooden coffee table and brought them into the kitchen. She washed them and set them in the drying rack and was just drying her hands when Tony came in through her door, a ladder in his arms.

Behind him came a shiny, red toolbox rolling on little treads. Tony opened the ladder as Lexie and Thor watched him eyeball the distance from Loki's bedroom door plus the angle of Lexie's door. They watched as he moved around for a few minutes, the red took box following closely behind him. He spun to face Lexie, asking, "How much do you like that wall?" He was pointing to the wall of Loki's bedroom.

Lexie arched an eyebrow and tilted her head.

"Huh, yeah, okay. Wall stays." He set up the ladder muttering as he began climbing. "It's a wall. Not like it's a- a- baby or something nonrefundable." As he settled he snapped his fingers, "Hey, Red. Make yourself useful." The toolbox trundled over and began raising itself up until it was extended right next to Tony all the while making various sounding squeaks. Tony didn't even have to lean over to get his tools. "You should have already been here, you've got the one job, Red. Just the one. Remember, no one likes a slacker."

Lexie headed into her bedroom, she wanted to take her own shower and change clothes. It had been a long time since she had been able to do more than a five-minute shower and she planned to make the most of her time.

Thor got up and went into Loki's bedroom. He pushed the door closed but not that last bit that would latch it. He pulled a comfortable chair over to Loki's side of the bed and sat down in it heavily. He had left Asgard without telling Odin and expected to be summoned back at any moment. He hoped for Loki's sake it wasn't for hours yet, his brother needed his sleep. He stared at Loki's sleeping form, intently looking at his brother's face to see if he was dreaming. Thor saw no sign of any distress on Loki's face so he leaned back, and closed his eyes.

Loki stood in his mind's library, loose pages in his hands. He began hesitantly walking down the main aisle. He looked down at the pages and books at his feet. Some of the books were thin, he picked one up that was bound in dark green leather with red edging. He opened it, reading the words and the memories held within it flooded him.

screams and cries of battle surrounded him and the scent of blood filled his lungs as he looked around for Father. He spied him battling three Frost Giants and Loki sliced his way through five of his own monsters to arrive at Odin's side. The ground was a slick mud made from blood, it coated Loki's leathers. His young, lean body was still growing into its strength but there was a mature intelligence beyond his years in his eyes that shone as he looked into Odin's eye.

"Father! We can surround them if we circle the flank there." He pointed with a long, curved dagger that still dripped blood.

Odin stared at the dagger for a moment then looked to where his youngest son pointed. He instantly took in the battlefield and saw the strategy was sound and nodded.

"Give me the men father, I can lead them to victory for you. For Asgard." Loki grinned up at his father, he had seen the acknowledgment of the battle plan. He felt the blood in him singing, perhaps this was what Thor felt? What he meant when he spoke of the battle lust? The thrill?

Loki saw his father's eye roam the battlefield, searching while a creeping sense of discouragement and frustration replaced the thrill of battle with anger. He saw his father's eye stop then Odin took a deep breath and called out, "Thor!"

Loki turned and rejoined the battle. He sliced through the closest Frost Giant then the next. His blades never stilled. He climbed the bodies, they twisted but he adjusted with grace and never lost his footing. It was so easy he never had to think about it. The screams of battle had slipped away, it was perfectly quiet. He focused his emotions deep down inside. Keeping his blades tight in his fists despite the slick blood was his only occasional thought. Until he finally realized he was looking for Frost Giants and finding none. Spinning and turning in circles, he was alone.

Suddenly the noise rushed in and he flinched, lurching awkwardly to his knees, stunned at the screams of the wounded, and dying men and horses. Looking around he saw only victorious Asgardians making gifts of mercy. Looking down his vision was filled with blades that were thickly covered with blood and he clenched his hands tightly in the grips to keep hold of them. He felt agonizing pain spasm through his hands, up the length of his arms, and into his shoulders as he was unable to force his hands to open. The muscles had locked and he had to use his magic to vanish the daggers away. He stared at his hands, curled into claws, blood coating them, filth and gore splashed up his arms. It coated his leathers. He could taste it. In his mouth. His nose. Deep in his stomach. In his lungs. 

Two strong arms lifted him to his feet. "Loki!" Thor's voice shouted in his ear as the arms nearly crushed him.

Loki spun away from him but Thor refused to let go. "Don't touch me, you half-wit."

Loki saw as Thor frowned and looked hurt, slowly releasing him but keeping Loki close."What pains you brother?" Thor's eyes searched Loki's form, worry filling the blue orbs. "Are you injured?"

"No." Forcing his hands open he slapped Thor's away and began the walk towards the camp. He staggered, Thor reached out a hand but didn't touch.

Walking around the dead, Thor remained close to Loki. "Brother, your plan turned the battle in our favor far sooner than originally planned, it saved lives." Loki scoffed. "Tis true. So says Father."

Loki stopped short and gaped at Thor. "Father said this?" His voice was incredulous.

Thor grinned, "Aye." Loki felt the sting of Thor's arm come crashing around his slender shoulders. "He sent me to find you. Tonight we sing your name."

Loki felt a swelling pride. Thor pulled him tightly into him as they continued walking. He was thirteen years old, he'd fought in battles for years now. This would be his first time being so honored by his father. Finally honored the same as-

Loki looked down at the book. The rest of the pages were torn from it, leaving only jagged edges. Loki wondered if this was Odin's intent. A memory that would never wholly be recovered, he would never remember the pride of having his name praised. He would forever wonder if it had even occurred. He knew the page of memories had to be somewhere on the floor, he would have to take the book and crawl around until he found the correct pages and then replace them into the book. Every single lose page would have to be placed in the correct book. It would be exhausting to relive every memory. It would take the same amount of time to relive the memory as it took to make it. Every good memory. Every bad one. Every single missing piece of knowledge. He let the book fall to the floor and didn't know if the sound he made was of anger or sorrow.

Tony climbed down from the ladder and gave a look around. He was the only one in the main area. Lexie was still in her bedroom, Thor was in with Loki and Bruce was somewhere. "F.R.I.D.A.Y. show me the camera view." In front of him, a hologram of the camera's view appeared. It was a color display showing a three hundred and sixty-degree view of Lexie's apartment, including the door to her bedroom. He reached into the hologram, made several adjustments and the hologram appeared to only show the main areas of the apartment. It would do in case anyone asked to see what he could see. With a swipe of his hand, the hologram disappeared.

Tony felt no guilt at the lie, he was going to protect Lexie and there was nothing else to say. He protected what was his. He would allow Loki to live in Lexie's apartment because it made sense and was probably the only way they would get any results. It made sense. But that didn't mean it was going to be a slumber party with hair braiding and giggling over cute boys. Tony frowned. Better not be.


	21. Chapter 21

Lexie shut her bedroom door behind her and leaned against its solid wood. While closing her eyes she took several even breaths, letting some tension out with each one. When she opened her eyes she felt ready to tackle a shower and wash her hair.

First, she went to her dresser and pulled out clean clothes then headed to the bathroom. Turning on the water, making it a little hotter than normal because she could use the relaxation it would bring her muscles. Once inside her shower, she took her time scrubbing up, scented body wash filling the shower with the strong smell of lavender and mint. 

It was while closing her eyes to rinse her hair that she involuntarily thought about Loki's actions that had woken her up. He had been half on top of her, she knew what his intentions were, but he had thought he was in one of his nightmares. Once he realized he was back, in reality, he had wanted nothing to do with touching her. But that moment when she had first opened her eyes, that moment had been terrifying and she wasn't going to pretend it wasn't. Standing under the showerhead, eyes clenched tightly shut, she had a flash of thought, having a body on top of her, hands tight on her arms. An ugly, angry face glaring down at her. Being held down. With a gasp she opened her eyes and stepped back, coughing on the water she inhaled.

"Whoa." She panted for several long seconds, getting her breathing under control. The thought vanished, she knew it wasn't a memory, nothing like that had ever happened to her. "That was weird." Keeping her eyes opened she finished with her hair. Less than twenty minutes later she had washed everything and was stepping out and dried herself off.

Dressed in comfortable jeans and a t-shirt, she came out with her hair wrapped in a towel, her hairbrush in her hand. Squeezing water from her hair she sat on her chaise and began brushing it out.

She hadn't wanted to think about Loki while showering, that seemed a little too creepy, but now she allowed her thoughts to think about the god sleeping in her spare room. This day had been stressful, Loki's actions were not what she had been expecting. He didn't even appear to remember her. How could he have forgotten the one person who had been by his side through these last few days?

Lexie worked her hair into one long braid, her fingers weaving without her needing to think about what she was doing. She got up, grabbing her damp towel, and went into the bathroom where she hung it up. She wrapped a hair tie around the bottom of her hair, grabbed her dirty clothes, and tossed them in the laundry basket as she came out.

Walking out of her room she glanced at her bed, she'd love to take a nap right now but wasn't sure when Thor would have to leave. She needed to talk to him before he rushed off so she headed towards Loki's room. Lexie pushed slowly on the door, just enough to peek in. In the faint light, she saw a lump under the bed covers that had to be Loki and a chair next to the bed with a sleeping Thor. She backed out and headed towards her room, she'd grab her own quick nap.

In Loki's room, he dreamed.

He woke with the taste of the black sand in his mouth. Raising his head from the sandy ground he sat up as he swiped at his face, trying to brush the sand from his cheeks. Looking around in the dimness he was still able to make out the forms of people writhing on the tables, ground, and everywhere in-between. Hands pulled at his clothes, tugging at his hair and he slapped at them without impact. He struggled to his feet, kicking at the hands that still grasped for him then decided his only escape was to move. The shadows were deep in the cave, there was no sign of torches yet the shadows flickered as if that were its source.

The sounds of the orgy grew louder, moans and cries, and screams from both male and female throats. The sounds of sex filled his ears though his mind brushed against the fact that there was no scent of sex. The air should be filthy with its scent. Before he could contemplate this suspect inconsistency, a hand pinched at his skin particularly viciously and he turned to violently kick at the body attached to the hand.

Walking faster than hands could grasp him, he searched for a way out of this chamber. Something was calling at him to leave here, to get out. To flee. He moved to the darker corners only to find solid rock, with no visible escape. He felt his breaths come at increasing pants, the grit of the sand mixing with the saliva in his mouth to create a metallic taste.

A body grasped him from behind, pressing close up behind him. With a startled noise he twisted and flung himself free. Looking back with a vicious glare intended to cowl his assailant, instead, he found his breath stopped in a panic-inducing terror. Massive hands pushed at his chest and he was falling. Falling into the darkness that was a crippling cold. Falling. As his vision dimmed he was able to look up at the leering face belonging to those hands.

Thanos.

Thor woke as he threw his body from the chair, Mjolnir appearing in his hand as he rose to his feet. The sound of Loki screaming had brought him to full battle readiness, prepared to defend himself and his brother from the beasts of Hel itself. He could think of nothing else that would cause that kind of sound to come from his brother's throat.

In seconds he realized that there was no threat, only Loki sitting up in the bed while continuing to scream that panic-stricken scream. With his eyes wide open, Loki's gaze was fixed on a terror only he could see. Dropping Mjolnir on the floor, Thor tightly grasped Loki's shoulders, shaking him with force. "Loki! Brother, wake. Wake up!"

When Lexie came crashing through the door she pulled to a hard stop at the sight before her. Loki was screaming with deep guttural cries while staring ahead and even the faint light she could see Thor was shaking him harshly enough to snap his head back and forth. Thor's words were having no effect on waking his brother. She moved closer while her heart pounded in her chest, uncertain but knowing she couldn't just turn around and leave.

"Loki!" Thor was about to pick his brother up from the bed when the screams died to a strangled sob. Loki awoke as he brought his hands up as if defending himself from a blow.

"Thor!" Loki looked up, fright still clouding his eyes as he gasped in and out great gulps of air. "I- I saw-" He shook his head, clenching his eyes shut while bringing his knees up from the bed. His hands came up to the side of his head, fingers tangling into his hair as he pulled so hard he appeared to be trying to pull it out.

"It was only a dream, Brother. Nothing more." Thor released Loki and was about to move back when a hand snapped out to grasp his hand. Loki pulled Thor's hand to his chest as if using him as a shield from his nightmare. Thor's eyes widened in surprise, the hand that held his was icy cold but that wasn't the cause of his disbelief. It was Loki taking his hand, he couldn't remember the last time his brother sought comfort like this from him.

Loki wildly shook his head, his free hand slowly falling to the bed. "No, no. It was more. I- I-" His eyes lost their focus as he thought, "I can't remember. But- it was something I know. Someone- something-" His voice trailed off in uncertainty. His eyes moved up to look at Thor but instead stopped on Lexie. A closed-off expression fell over his face. "Who is she?" There was an arrogant demand in his tone.

Thor glanced at Lexie, this time it was his turn to frown, "That is Lady Allexandria." Thor's voice softened, "You have met her before. Do you not remember?" He made his voice sound soothing as if he were speaking to a nervous horse.

Loki shook his head, his eyes moved around the room, taking everything in while his body remained tense and still. "Where are we? Where is this place?" There was no sign of recognition in his eyes. 

A deeply uneasy feeling began to scratch at Thor's mind, "You do not remember this either?" The unease grew when Loki still grasped his hand and looked up at him with eyes that held no hatred in them. No loathing. No malice or any other negative emotion. "Brother, you are on Midgard. In the home of Tony Stark."

Loki's grasp on Thor's hand clenched then eased enough to slip free, he looked around the room once more. "Midgard? Why are we on Midgard?" There was distaste in how he said the word. "Who is Tony Stark?" He looked up at Thor for an answer then widened his eyes as something seemed to finally register in his spinning mind. "What has happened to you?" Green eyes roamed over Thor's face and body, the dimness causing him to narrow his eyes as he stared.

Thor's mouth fell open, he closed it to swallow while looking over at Lexie as though seeking her help. He turned back to study Loki. "I- Brother, what do you mean?"

Loki frowned, "You look older." He turned glaring eyes to Lexie, "Did she do this to you?" He raised his arms and attempted to call his magic forth. A faint glow of green caused him to hiss out in pain and look at his forearms where the orange lines of Strange's spell glowed. He slapped at them, "What is this? What has been done to me?" His voice trembled then he looked to Thor accusingly, "What did you do?"

Thor held out his hands, "Peace, Loki, Peace." Thor looked to Lexie in uncertainty. "I will answer all your questions. I swear. Lady Allexandria will help. She is your friend."

Loki scowled at Thor then glanced at Lexie for just a second before focusing back on Thor. "You're telling half-truths." 

"Not intentionally." Thor sounded as if he had said this many times before. "There is much here that you don't-" Thor looked away before sliding his gaze back to Loki, "- that you appear to not remember."

Loki made a face of irritation, "That appears to be the reason I'm asking you to tell me what happened, you imbecile." A sudden thought seemed to come to him, his face cleared in something close to fear, "Did a spell go wrong? Is that what happened?"

Thor shook his head almost instantly, "No, nothing like that."

"Then why am I here? Instead of home?" He gave Lexie a side-eyed look for just a second. "Wouldn't mother and father be a better choice in helping me than, mortals?" Again he spoke the last word with distaste.

Thor couldn't stop the inhale and it was loud. Lexie froze, only moving her eyes back and forth between the brothers. Thor opened his mouth only to close it then open it again. When he spoke his voice was softer than normal, "No, you have to remain here. It's for the best," He added to stop Loki from speaking, most likely to ask more questions Thor absolutely did not want to answer.

Loki studied Thor, who in turn did the same to Loki. The brothers were silent, each seeming to be waiting for the other to speak first. Lexie decided she was going to be the one to break this standoff.

"Okay." She tried to keep her hands still but they fluttered in the air. "So." Now both were staring at her in expectation. "I'm just going to sit here. Sound good?" Both brothers looked at her then back at each other. Lexie shook her head while she sat towards the middle of the bed, on the side opposite Thor, muttering, "Sure, Lexie. That sounds great." She felt like she was intruding in a very personal moment and she probably was. However, whatever Thor told Loki was something she needed to know since she was going to be the one dealing with him.

Loki was momentarily distracted as he looked at Lexie, staring at her with consternation. He seemed to find her sitting on his bed rather alarming because he swiftly moved further from her and pushed himself against the headboard. He looked to Thor self-consciously and spoke lowly with obvious discomfort. "Brother, there should not be a Lady in my chamber, sitting on my bed." He hissed the last word as if Lexie couldn't perfectly hear him.

Thor stared at Loki with an expression of growing perplexion yet his eyes showed his mind was full of competing thoughts. Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat, "Brother," The word came out tentatively, "How old are you?"

Loki stared at Thor for a long moment, his own face giving away his thoughts. He first looked surprised then calculating, his eyes sliding to Lexie before he looked back up at Thor to answer shrewdly, "How old should I be?"

Thor heaved out a sigh and sat back in his chair. "Just answer me." Loki's eyes narrowed in a way Thor recognized, there would be no answer until Loki knew the reason for the question. "Very well. What is the last time we traveled together? Where did we go?" He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, lowering his head slightly.

An expression of deliberation slipped onto Loki's face, he again glanced at Lexie who was just watching what was happening with blatant interest. Loki answered carefully, as if not wanting to reveal too much information. "Vanaheim, we went to Vanaheim to hunt. You compelled me to come along with the idiots three and Sif."

Thor swallowed, he looked as though he had been stunned by his own lightning. After a moment he asked, "Where you got yourself gored by the boar?"

Loki gritted his teeth. "I was only gored because I was pushing you out of the way, you buffoon. You thought to fight with the beast." He shook his head then muttered, "Always pummeling when you should be thinking."

Thor sat back in the chair, his shoulders hunched. His eyes roamed over Loki as if looking for something hidden. He knew Loki and he knew his brother's tricks. This did not feel like that. Yet when did Loki's tricks ever feel like tricks?

"Now answer my questions. I demand to know why I am on Midgard, why I must remain here, and most importantly, what has happened to me." Growing vexation was in his words. There was a glare from those green eyes that was well-practiced, "What did you do to me, oaf?"

Thor straightened, "I did nothing to you." His voice was harsh. "This is all your fault." Sounding petulant he asserted under his breath, "It's always your fault."

An expression of hurt spasmed over Loki's face though he stressed, "I very much doubt that. However, I shall be the judge of who is at fault in this disaster of yours." Loki's scowl was fierce.

Thor stared at Loki, blue eyes boring into green ones. There was a tenseness in Thor's shoulders as if he were waiting for Loki to reveal the trick and it would be painful. "I don't believe you are in a state of mind to hear-"

"Enough! Enough!" He sliced a hand through the air, "Stop your pitiful attempts at evasion and tell me what I want to know!" Loki's volume had risen shrilly as he made his demand. His hands now were clenched into fists and he slammed them down onto the bed. "Wheres my seidr? Tell Me!" 

Thor hurled his next words at Loki's face, his tone making it clear he was irate. "You want to know?! Very well." Standing he walked around to the back of his chair and gripped the back of it so tightly that Lexie wondered if he would leave dents. He kept an intense glare upon Loki as he took a deep breath, "You grew up, then we-" Thor's face twitched, "fought. You left Asgard, something happened to you." Pointing a finger at Loki, who had opened his mouth to speak, Thor added, "Don't ask what it was, you refused to reveal any information." Loki snapped his mouth shut with a scowl. "The next time anyone saw you was when you were bringing an army of Chitauri in an attempt to conquer Midgard. You were defeated, father punished you, you were stolen from your prison and when we recovered you-" Thor finally took a breath. "You had been tortured to the point of madness. You just recovered. Today, I might add. However, you are not yourself."

Lexie felt like she had been overwhelmed by Thor's matter-of-fact recital but that was nothing compared to what she observed in Loki. He appeared ill as if he were about to either pass out or vomit. His eyes had lost their focus even though he was staring in Thor's direction. His breath began to come in quick pants through his open mouth.

Loki searched his memories. Looking for all that Thor had spoken. He found something else.

Inside the library of his mind, he stood staring at an incomprehensible amount of destruction. He looked down at the floor, scattered papers under his bare feet, books with torn spines and ripped pages. he raised his eyes to take in more damage, chairs and tables destroyed, splintered into pieces worthy only of firewood. He reached down with confusion to pick up a page though he peered around rather than read it.

"So you see it." The voice came from a hoarse throat of a man coming out from the far shadows. The figure leaned casually against the end of a bookcase, though there was nothing casual in his expression.

Loki stared at himself, his heart pounding as he saw the despair on his own face. He was startled at the suffering he saw etched on his own face. He waited until the form pushed away and came closer. They both looked around at the wreckage. "What happened?" His voice was soft in its disbelief.

"Odin." The word was spat out like the foulest poison.

"What? Father?" He turned around to see everything as his arms slowly came up to weakly wave at the carnage. "He wouldn't do this."

There was laughter that started low then grew into a mad cackle. "Oh, you are stupid. I had forgotten how blind I truly was." There was a feral grin that spread over his face and he took menacing steps closer. "So trusting and gullible." The voice was seething, teeth clenched in a jaw that flexed. His words came forth clipped and brittle. "So easily deceived by pale skin and a lifetime of lies." Taunting he continued, "We are an abomination to the AllFather. A monster." The grin showed more teeth. "A tool to be used then discarded when it no longer has a purpose."

There was a disbelieving shake of his head. "What are you talking about?" The words were whispered in confused horror though there was dread in the tone as well.

Licking his lips he stalked forward in wicked anticipation, "Have you never wondered why you can not do right by the AllFather? How nothing is good enough for him? How he says you were born to be king but you know that Thor will be chosen? You know you have ever tried to gain just a word, a look that reveals half as much pride in you as he showers on Thor." The name was spat in contempt. The growing devastation on the other's face only drove the words to be hurled out faster. "There's a very good reason you will never sit on Asgard's throne. No Frost Giant can ever rule the Nine Realms!" The spiteful words were shrieked in a malicious and vindictive howl of pain and grief.

Loki stared at himself, un-naturally still. "You're lying. Mother would never-"His eyes darted for an escape, "She would have-"

More deranged laughter echoed through the air, "Frigga is dead. We murdered her."

Loki became rigid as his eyes rolled back in his head and he stiffened in a seizure. His muscles painfully contracted in waves that twisted his body even as he arched against the headboard with a painful crack of his head against the hardwood.

"Loki!" Thor shouted as he leaped forward to grasp his brother and drag him down the bed and away from the headboard. He rested his knees against Loki's side. 

Lexie also rose but she scrambled to help Thor pull at Loki. "On his side, on his side." She rolled him even though his body was like a live wire, twisting and flailing about. She felt a solid thud against her ribs when a hand struck her and she knew she'd have a bruise from the strength of it.

Thor spread his knees apart to rest Loki against them, using them to keep Loki on his side. He avoided the limbs striking out.

The seizure itself only lasted seconds, though it felt like much longer. The contractions that rippled through his body gradually slowed, turning into shudders that both Lexie and Thor watched with still wide eyes. Lexie kept a hand on his hip until his body had begun to still though it hadn't fully relaxed yet. His face was pale as marble, his breaths came in pants. There were flutters around his eyes as the nerves twitched, his hands spasmed causing his fingers to spread and jerk. After several minutes his breathing had slowed and there was an obvious struggle to open his eyes.

"Loki?" Thor's voice was full of concern and he ran a hand over Loki's face, pushing back his long hair. "Brother?"

Finally, Loki opened his eyes to slits however they were unfocused and glazed. A push of air carried his voice, "Thor?" His tongue pushed out to try to wet dry lips.

"Yes, yes it's me." Thor scooted back and his hands gently turned Loki more onto his back so that the two of them could see each other easier. Unfocused eyes with large pupils rolled upwards, trying to focus.

"Thor?" He asked again in a slightly louder voice.

"Yes. It's Thor, your Brother." One large hand squeezed Loki's shoulder while the other pushed more hair back. "I'm sorry Brother. I shouldn't have spoken so bluntly."

A sound of what could have been a coughed laugh came from somewhere deep inside. A long-fingered hand clumsily slapped away Thor's hand from his face while the words he croaked were slurred yet understandable. "Don't. Touch me."


	22. Chapter 22

Thor was standing at the foot of Loki's bed, arms folded with scrutinizing regard for his brother who was lying sprawled on the bed. He had been staring at him for the last ten minutes, his thoughts clearly showing on his face. He was annoyed with Loki. Annoyed yet concerned which meant that he didn't know if he should be yelling at his brother or trying to reassure him. So he continued to stare.

Loki on the other hand had no difficulty ignoring Thor while paying attention to the mortal female who was tending to him. He allowed her to serve him because, why not? It was above her station but he didn't see anyone worthy so she would have to suffice. At this time she was feeding him some type of broth that was surprisingly acceptable for something created on Midgard. 

Lexie ignored the smirk on Loki's face as he arrogantly lay back against a stack of pillows, his legs manspreading with the covers tangled around his thighs. She hadn't made the offer to straighten them and he hadn't commanded her to. Not like he commanded her to find something to sustain him that wasn't the usual foul slop he had come to expect on this backward realm. She had rolled her eyes with the offer of broth. She could see he was about to make a rude comment when she cut him off by telling him that he had eaten it before and enjoyed it. The fact that he gave her an insolent leer when she had brought a small tray with a bowl and spoon had caused her to give him another eye roll. He was such an egotistical ass.

Loki took the spoonful offer to him with a haughty sneer while inside he was scrambling to organize what little bit Thor had told him when the mortal had left the room. The information that he had been rescued from Thanos had made an involuntary shudder run through his entire body. He remembered it. Or he thought he did, he wasn't sure because Thor had also touched on Loki having been serving a prison sentence off Asgard which comprised of an unknown punishment. There was something else that the goat refused to admit that he wasn't telling him. Now he ran his eyes lecherously over the woman, he needed her off balance if he was going to find out what she knew. "So, woman." He grinned at Thor when he heard his grunt of disapproval. "Tell me how else you've been serving me while I've been recovering? Not taking advantage of me, are you?"

Lexie huffed out a short laugh while her lips twisted into a half-smile. She shook her head in good-humored tolerance while putting the spoon in the bowl then set it on the nightstand. "Take advantage of you? Of course not. Unless you count me washing your hair." Lexie raised a single eyebrow at him, with her lips still smiling.

All trace of humor fled Loki's face in an instant, replaced by a menacing tightness. His hands curled into fists and a dangerous glint was in his eyes. His whole body was so tense he appeared vibrating with his emotions. His eyes flashed to Thor as if seeking the truth of her words and Thor's shrug did nothing to calm his feelings. Focusing his eyes on Lexie who now was looking at him with contemplation but no fear. Despite his outward appearance, Loki was horrified and confused. He had no memory of what this mortal was talking about and yet he also heard the truth in her words. This had happened to him and he was terrified at the thought he was missing parts of his mind. 

"Don't worry. I was gentle." Lexie went to rise from the bed, she knew she was pushing him and wanted to give him space. Instead, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, holding her in place.

His voice was a hissing growl, demanding, "Don't think to take advantage of my tolerance of you in this situation. I will not be mocked by a mear mortal."

Thor had moved closer and now was hovering, "Release her, Loki. Or I will force you." His body was starting to give off just enough power that Lexie felt the hair on the arm closest to Thor stand on end.

"Stop," She looked up and over her shoulder at Thor, "It's okay. He's not hurting me." It was true, despite the emotions raging through him, Loki's grip was just enough to hold her in place, it wasn't painful at all.

Loki looked down to where his hand encircled Lexie as if it wasn't his own. The expressions of menace changed to one of confusion and puzzlement. Inside he was just those emotions when he realized the mortal was correct. His grip wasn't hurtful even though he had no intention to spare her pain when he grabbed her. Now he moved to inflict that pain and found he couldn't. His ability to close his hand tight wasn't there, his mind shied away from even the desire to inflict pain on her. He raised his eyes to Lexie with incredulity on his face, "What have you done to me?" His tone was accusing. "What did you do, woman?"

Lexie pulled her arm away and was surprised when he let go. "Nothing. I haven't done anything to you." Now she stood, she knew it was past time to move away from Loki.

He was now looking at Thor, his eyes accusing while his tone was scathing, "You. You did this." He pointed at Thor. "What have you done?"

Thor shook his head, he knew exactly what he had done to Loki. "Nothing. Perhaps the Midgardian binding prevents you from causing harm to the only one who would care for you." Thor tried to add his own tone of condemnation into his voice but could tell from Loki's glare that he had failed. Loki was the God of lies, after all, his main purpose was to know a lie when he heard it. It was why he had been so useful at the AllFather's side.

"Liar." Loki was vicious, he made the effort to pull himself out of the bed. "You lie. What. Have. You. Done?" His words were spat in hatred. He couldn't allow himself to remain in this vulnerable position even though his body trembled. He needed to get to his feet, to intimidate, to regain power, and as he struggled Lexie made a movement to help him. He nearly struck her with his fist as he waved her off, he had not been intending to miss. 

Thor reached out and pulled Lexie back against his body, he kept her there. "Loki." There was a warning in that one word.

"You've done something to me. What is it?" The thought of being tampered with fueled his fears, he knew he had been meddled with enough. Once he had swung his legs to the side of the bed and attempted to stand he trembled, his legs were too weak to support him. While his physical actions were occurring his mind was scrambling to make sense of his thoughts. He couldn't allow his mind to be touched, not again. Despite his wishes, his legs gave out at the same moment his mind sank back into memories.

Falling. Falling. Black sands? Where where large hands searing pain do not touch no no touching pain gardens gardens in the dark laughter where was he darkness burning laughter falling void darkness too dark too hot freezing heat pushing pulling falling void mother no gardens NO don't slashing cutting sighs groans sex no no touching stop touching wouldn't didn't would do it filthy monster forbidden no no touching stop stop hiding hunting Thanos Thanos no no pain PAIN no NO

Loki was on his knees, folded over himself. He had tangled his fingers into his hair as he pulled hard enough that Lexie expected him to pull out handfuls. He had been chanting low, moaning out words. Now he was howling with desperation in his voice.

"Noo, no, no, stop it stop it I don't want it I don't! Stop! Stop! Stop! Don't touch me! Get off! NO!" He was screaming, hunched as if trying to make himself as small as possible. "Pleeease!"

Lexie pulled away from Thor, he let her go and she knelt next to Loki, putting her hands on his back, rubbing with what she hoped was enough pressure to let him know she was there but not enough to make him feel threatened. His screams were heartrending, "Shh, it's okay. You're okay. You're safe." She leaned closer, "Loki, Loki, you're here. It's not real. Whatever you're seeing isn't real." She tried to speak soothingly but firmly, he needed to hear her.

Thor leaned over Lexie, his hands outward in readiness to pull her away from his brother at the first sign of danger to her. His heart was breaking for the trauma Loki was suffering but he wouldn't allow his sympathy to put Lexie in danger. At least any more than she was already putting herself in.

Loki's mind was burning with sights and sounds he couldn't stop. He couldn't make them go away and the lack of control fed his terror. It grew with every stab of a vision. Each one more painful until his fear had nowhere else to grow. The scream filled the room. "NOOO!"

Lexie felt the thin body collapse as if a rope were cut. The silence became as loud as he had been and her first thought was that he was dead. She tried to push him over and Thor knelt to help her roll him. His eyes were open, his face slack. "Loki? Loki!" Lexie leaned closer to him while resting her hand on his chest. Her relief flooded her body with heat when she felt it rise and fall. "Loki?"

"Let me place him back on the bed." Thor scooped his brother up with ease, laying him down with gentleness. He pushed Loki's hair back from his face then frowned when Loki's eyes blinked and his hand weakly came up to slap at Thor.

Loki's shoulders twitched, his voice a breathy gasp, "no, no touch." His eyes were still unfocused and they rolled as he struggled to gain control of himself. His mind felt heavy, the visions were still there but seemed faded, nearly see-through as they floated on the edge of his awareness.

Thor stepped back and Lexie took his place, sitting on the edge of the bed. She brushed her hand against Loki's still slowly flailing arm but pulled back when he flinched at her touch. A frown appeared on his face and she was surprised when his hand reached out and grasped her arm.

Loki had expected another burst of visions when the hand touched him but instead, it was like a whisper of empty space in a stormcloud-filled sky. He wanted that cloudless sky back and sought the person out. When he felt his hand touch he had an understanding it was the mortal but he still pulled her closer, he wasn't about to let her get away. 

Lexie didn't pull back when Loki pressed her hand to his chest, she saw the easing of tension on his face. His eyes closed with what looked like relief.

"Speak." The word was whispered. "Speak."

Lexie frowned, "Talk to you?" There was a jerking nod of his head, "About what? What do you want me to say?"

Loki shook his head, "Speak. Talk." He squeezed the hand but not painfully. There was a command in his tone even though the voice was weak, he had screamed his throat raw. "Now. Speak."

Lexie looked up at Thor, "Get me a book off the shelf."

Thor headed to the closest book, "Which one?"

"Anyone. I don't think it matters."

Thor grabbed a book that was green down its spine and brought it over to hand to Lexie. She took it and with her one free hand opened it, her voice even as she started to read. "When he was thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you understanding some of Loki's visions/memories?  
> What are your thoughts?  
> I'm curious if what you're thinking is the information I'm trying to give you. There are actually several different themes.


End file.
